Linked
by Skyweaver
Summary: InuyashaxKagome, SangoxMiroku. Completed. ^_^
1. Shippou Makes A Mistake

A/N: Well well well.. another InuyashaxKagome handcuff ficcy. Actually, I've never read any before. ^_^;;; Anyone want to recommend a good one? I'll probably have to read it after I finish this one though.. no copying others! Anyway, I don't know what category to put this under.. so I just chose "romance" because I don't think it's funny enough to put under humor.. right?  
Um... at this point I have no idea how long the story will be, but I'm guessing it's not a oneshot. I wanted to do something light-ish, because my other ficcy got sort of sad-like at the end. Anyway, enjoy! (hopefully)  
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"Happy birthday!"  
A beaming Souta looked around the table, eyes finally lighting up on a large pile of presents. Following her son's glance, Souta's mother chuckled. "All right," she allowed. "go ahead and open your presents now, Souta-chan." Before she had even finished her sentence, Souta was ripping the wrapping paper off the largest present. "A remote control car! Yes! Thank you grampa!"  
"You're welcome, kid." Before Souta could attack another gift, Kagome swept in through the door, breathless and rosy from the cold outside. "Sorry, Souta! The line at the store was really long. Anyway, here's your gift!"  
She presented a ravishly wrapped square shaped gift to Souta. Ignoring the paper Kagome had painstakingly wrapped around it, Souta ripped through the bows to find a shiny black box underneath. His mouth dropped open. "This is.." he managed. "This is the Police Kit 007!! Kagome, I can't believe you bought this for me!" Kagome grinned. "Saved up my manga money." she said cheerfully. "You like it?"  
Souta threw himself at her. "Thank you! You're the bestest big sister in the entire world!"   
"Don't I know it?"  
  
Souta looked guiltily over his shoulder. His "bestest" sister was out for the afternoon, at a friend's house to catch up on the homework she'd missed. And he needed a place to dust for fingerprints with his newest acquisition. He'd already been kicked out of the kitchen, the master bedroom, the living room, the dining room, and his grandfather's room. Heck, he'd been kicked out of every room in the house, save his own and the bathrooms. His mother had said something about not wanting the white powder in the eating areas, and his grandfather had been watching TV in the living room. Souta couldn't see how his quiet dusting could disturb the baseball game, but he'd learned long ago that if he pointed this out, he would be doing chores before one could say "handcuffs."  
Which reminded him.. Souta looked down to make sure that his cuffs were firmly linked through his belt loop. Good. Satisfied, Souta turned his attention to Kagome's desk. Now, just move these books aside..  
A car honked loudly outside. Souta stiffened guiltily and shifted. Kagome wasn't due home for an hour yet.. but guilty creeps were already catching up to him. Souta unlinked the handcuffs, his favorite part of the kit, and managed a grin in the shiny plastic. "Nothing to worry about." he assured himself. "Detectives are brave.. who's scared of Kagome anyway?" Just then, Buyo decided to jump straight into Souta's legs. Giving a high pitched yelp, Souta flung his hands into the air, looked around wildly and ducked beneath the bed. It wasn't until the handcuffs landed with a clatter that he noticed they were missing. Oh no... he must have thrown them in the air when he panicked. Just great. When Souta judged the place was safe and was about to creep out, the door nudged open and Kagome herself came in, throwing her book bag onto the bed with a bounce. "Sheesh!" she said, collapsing in the desk chair. "How can there possibly be so many math theorems in the entire world?" Souta stiffened, then realized that she was talking to herself. He allowed himself a tiny breath of relief. She didn't know he was there yet. "What are you doing in here? I thought I closed the door!" At this exclamation, Souta jumped, startled, and hit his head with a muffled thump on the underside of the bed. He peered out cautiously to judge just how mad Kagome was. But instead of scowling, Kagome was giggling and cuddling Buyo. "Silly cat." she admonished. "You're supposed to stay out of my room!" Souta's mouth dropped open. She had been talking to the cat! All that panic and head bumping for nothing. There was a sound of nails tapping on glass. Souta pulled himself back into the shadows of the bed, hoping this newest distraction would provide him with the perfect chance to escape. "Inuyasha! What are you doing here?"   
"It's been a week! When were you planning to come back?" Hearest this new voice in the room, or rather, outside the window, Souta could barely restrain himself from jumping out to see Inuyasha. Kagome often teased him for his hero-worship of the dog demon, but Inuyasha was just so cool! Souta wanted to be a demon too.   
"I was just taking a rest before going down!"  
"You've had the whole week to rest! There's a new demon who might have some shards, and we need to follow it. Now."   
"Okay, okay," Kagome grumbled. "At least let me get my bag!"   
"Where is it?"   
"In that corner."  
"Okay, let's go."  
"You don't have to carry that, you know."  
"You're too weak to. If you carried it, we'd never get to the shrine."  
"Hey! I've carried it lots of times without your help, mister."  
"My name's Inuyasha, wench. Did you forget?"  
Kagome blew a raspberry. "Never mind." After a moment's silence, Souta was certain that the pair had left. However, to make sure, he waited for Kagome's "Bye mom! Bye grampa! Bye Souta!" before sliding out from under the bed. Well, he figured. That bought him some time. He would have until Kagome got back to find his handcuffs.   
  
Kagome followed Inuyasha down the well. "Weak," she grumbled as they entered the familiar forest. "who's weak?" Inuyasha ignored her and dumped the backpack under a tree, where Shippou was waiting. "Kagome-chan!" he leapt into her arms. "I missed you!"  
Kagome laughed. "Shippou-chan, you have no idea how nice it is to be greeted by a smiling face." So saying, she shot a pointed look toward Inuyasha, who ignored her just as pointedly. Miroku emerged from a clump of trees nearby, and grinned when he saw Kagome. "So, are we ready to start the search?"  
"Sure." Kagome answered agreeably. "Where's Sango?"  
"She's just down at the creek." Miroku jerked his chin in a random direction. "Shall I go get her? Inuyasha seems quite impatient to get started."  
"Don't use me as an excuse to see a naked girl." Inuyasha grumbled.  
Kagome could just imagine the scene if she said yes. "No," she answered quickly. "I'll go tell her I'm here."  
Miroku looked disappointed. "You're sure?"  
"Positive."   
  
"Sango? Sango-chan, it's me, Kagome!"   
"Oy! Kagome! Over here."  
Kagome saw Sango behind her, fully dressed. "Hi!"  
Sango gave a sunny smile. "Hey. Just waiting for my hair to dry."  
"You chose a nice spot." Kagome admired the scene, yellow sunlight drifting onto green grass.   
"Yeah." Sango gave a sigh. "Just thinking."  
Kagome sat down next to her, concerned. "Is something wrong?"  
"No.." Sango frowned thoughtfully. "Not exactly. Actually, it's something good, but I don't understand why I'm not estastic about it."   
"What happened?"  
"Well.."  
  
"When are they coming back?" Shippou whined, bouncing onto Inuyasha's head. Inuyasha punched him off. "You little brat."  
"They probably started catching up and lost track of the time." Miroku said mildly, "they'll come back soon as they realize the sun's setting."  
"But I'm hungry!"   
"Listen, kid, if you don't shut up-" Inuyasha stopped in mid-sentence, and had Shippou and Miroku look over at him in puzzlement.  
"You'll pound me?" Shippou finished helpfully, poised to dodge.   
"No," Inuyasha said grudgingly. "I'm hungry too."  
"Look in Kagome's backpack." Miroku suggested. "Doesn't she usually bring food?"  
"Yeah, yeah!" Shippou looked at Inuyasha expectantly.   
"Why me?" Inuyasha complained.  
"Because Kagome-chan gets mad when people go through her stuff. Then she hits them." Shippou explained, rolling his eyes. "Duh."  
"Kagome shouldn't have taught you that word." Miroku said, "It's annoying when you use it."  
Shippou wasn't listening. He was already hanging over Inuyasha's shoulder, almost drooling in anticipation.   
"Book, book, pencil," Inuyasha muttered, tossing the listed items over his shoulder. "Hey- what's this?"  
In the fading sunlight, the plastic of the handcuffs seem to gleam even brighter. "Who cares?" Miroku said. "We can't eat it."  
"You're right." Inuyasha threw it over to join the growing pile of inedible objects. "We'll ask Kagome about it later."  
"Ask me what?" Kagome and Sango appeared just as the last rays of the sun disappeared.   
"Shit!" Inuyasha began cursing as his body started to change.   
Kagome's eyes widened. "Oh, I forgot! It's that time of the month for you."  
Moments later, the dog demon was a human boy with raven black hair and deep purple eyes. Kagome suppressed the urge to whistle. It seems that every time Inuyasha changed into his human form, the fluttering in her heart whenever she saw him changed too- into a strong pounding. 'Well,' she thought to herself, annoyed at the very female reaction she was having. 'Why shouldn't I feel a little.. weird? I mean, Inuyasha is pretty good looking.'  
  
Five minutes later, Kagome was watching, amazed, as the sixth empty ramen cup joined the already large pile of trash. "How can you guys eat so much?" Miroku looked up, and, swallowing, asked politely, "Did you want some?"  
Kagome shook her head. "Not anymore."  
"No more," Inuyasha announced, peering into the backpack. Kagome snatched it away from him. "You already had two. Isn't that enough?"  
"I'm still hungry too." Shippou said shyly. Kagome's mouth dropped open. "But you're tiny! And you had the same amount as Inuyasha!" Then she giggled. "That's so cute!"   
"Why is it cute when you eat a lot?" Inuyasha demanded.  
Shippou shrugged.   
  
"Hey, what's this?" Sango held up the handcuffs.   
"What?" Kagome exclaimed. "Handcuffs? How did these get here?"  
"I don't know," Sango said, puzzled. "I was just putting all this trash in a bag for you to throw away when you get home, and I found this at the bottom of the pile." Kagome's eyes narrowed. "Souta was in my room!"  
"Huh?"  
"Oh hey, those things." Miroku came up behind Sango.   
"You saw these things?" she asked.   
"Yeah." Miroku said. "Inuyasha was going through Kagome's stuff looking for food, and he found those. Shippou was going to ask you about it, but I guess he fell asleep before he remembered."  
"Inuyasha went through my stuff?!"  
  
"They use it to catch bad guys." Kagome explained.   
"How do they catch people with this?" Sango examined the object in question closely.  
"Well," Kagome amended. "after they catch the bad guys, they put this around their wrists so they can't escape or hurt anyone."  
Inuyasha snorted. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" he scoffed. "Humans are even weaker than I thought if something like that can disarm them."  
Kagome looked annoyed. "Don't insult the handcuffs! They cost me a lot of money!"  
"You paid money for this thing?"   
"Well, it came in a kit. Anyway," Kagome returned to the original subject. "I bet it can hold you. Plastic is stronger than you think."  
"Even in this weak body that thing can't hold me." Inuyasha glowered at the handcuffs. "You underestimate me."  
"And you're underestimating the handcuffs." Kagome shot back.   
"What's going on?" Shippou rubbed his eyes sleepily and eyed the others, who were huddled around the campfire.   
Sango grinned at him. "Kagome says that the handcuffs can hold Inuyasha, but he doesn't believe her."  
"I want to watch!" Shippou hopped into Sango's lap and watched in eager anticipation.   
"Here," Kagome was explaining. "you just snap this around your wrist. But Inuyasha, I don't think this is a good idea. The key to the cuffs are probably still back home. I know they're not in my bag."  
"Who needs a key? I get out of this without a key."  
"But it's Souta's birthday present! I don't want to break it!"  
"Look." Miroku interrupted smoothly. "Why don't you two compromise: Inuyasha can try to get out of the handcuffs if he promises not to break it."  
Inuyasha didn't look disturbed. "Whatever."  
Kagome bit her lip. "Well, he has to give his word."  
"You have it. Can you hurry this up? I want to finish and get to sleep."  
Kagome clicked one of the handcuffs around Inuyasha's wrist with a loud "snap"! Shippou jumped up. "That looks fun! Can I try, Kagome? Please?"  
"Of course." Kagome said.   
"Hey," Inuyasha said, eyeing Shippou. "How do you know the kid can do it right?"   
"How hard can it be?" Shippou grabbed the second handcuff out of Kagome's hand. "Thanks, Kagome."  
"Oh, Shippou, be careful, here-" Kagome reached out to adjust Shippou's grip.  
SNAP!  
.............  
"Shippou!"  
"Oops."  
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Ending notes:  
So.. did you like? Well, review! And of course, constructive criticism is always welcomed. Tell me if you find any glaring holes in the plot.. because I don't usually see clearly when it comes to my own stories. What else..? Um.. review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please..?  
March 7th, 2oo2  
P.S. Wow.. this chapter is waaaay longer than my usual ones! Heheee. Review! 


	2. Inuyasha's Morning Surprise

A/N: Thanks to everyone for reviewing!! *overwhelmed* That's one of the reasons that I tried to update so fast.  
  
Stormie~ *helps you out of manhole* You have to watch where you're going! Hehe.. no plot holes so far? Thanks!  
  
LIlFoxgirl~ Shippou-chan is so cute! I want him to be my brother! Gimme.... ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!   
  
Zuzanny~ Thanks! ^_^_^  
  
Emeral Booky-Chan~ haha.. didn't you ever hear the saying "You catch more bees with honey than with vinegar?" Whaha... good thing I'm not a bee. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Kanna~ Yepsies. Sango's little problem will probably play a minor role in the story ... or maybe a major one! Who knows?.. but thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it.  
  
Inuyasha-loves-Kagome~ I agree, Shippou is so cute! And so very convenient when you need a good culprit.. after all, who could be mad at a little kitsune? Well... 'cept for Inuyasha, of course.  
  
the green smurf~ I'm really glad that you enjoyed the ficcy, and even gladder (that's not a word, is it?) that it's helping you get over a heartbreak. Hope it wasn't serious.. -_-;;;  
Anyway, your idea to go and snag your very own Inuyasha is wonderful... are you going to share? Hahah.. just kidding....  
  
Emmi-chan~ I suddenly one day went on an inspiration roll and finished the first chapter. ^_^;; seems like I rely a wee to heavily on these rolls.. not to worry, Sango wasn't forgotten! It's going to play a part in the story later, so it's stretching out. ^_^  
  
madeleine~ Yay.. thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm hoping it'll be funny.. ^_^;;  
  
Kumi Boa~ Hahah... how can I not continue after that? ^_^  
  
Taichi-chan~ You're not alone..I'm in love with so many anime characters that I can't keep 'em straight.. hold on, I meant that I can't keep track of them. ^_^;;;; Thanks for reading my other ficcys! I'm glad you enjoyed Forgotten..^_^ You live in San Jose too? Whoa, that's cool. I actually moved recently to Fremont.. wonder if I know you in person?  
  
Lainie-chan~ Heck, if I were stuck in handcuffs with Inuyasha, it'd be nothing _but_ fuN! Whaha..  
  
nekomon~ Thanks for reviewing! I think my version of "funny" sometimes comes out as lame... oh well. Hehe.  
  
CreatiStar~ Well, got this out as soon as I could! Thanks for reading, and I totally appreciate the review!  
  
Nizuno Mikomi~ Haha.. and I'm sure Miroku is having fun watching them too.. and being jealous. *^_^*  
  
Pengesan-chan~ *narrows eyes* Well, what an innocent looking person here, I don't suppose _she_ was the one who threw the sign...  
*sticks the sing on her wall and steps back to admire it* Yay! Right next to the "Perfect Attendance" award... ^_^;;;  
  
Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Co. do not belong to me..;_; But if I could.. I'd take Inu-chan and Shippou-chan.. and maybe Kagome to make Inuyasha happy.   
  
Dedication: I dedicate this chapter to three of my best friends: Grace, who is always supportive and optimistic when it comes to others, and who is a great authoress in her own right; Fang-Wen, who always makes me laugh and is one of the reasons I'm passing chinese school; and finally Amy, who will never see this because she doesn't read my stories since she doesn't like my writing, but who is wonderful anyway. I love you guys! If you ever change, I will set Inu-chan and Su-chan and Ami-chan on you... or maybe I'll just keep them for myself, wahahaaha. That would be a real punishment. ^_^  
  
Chapter Two: Inuyasha's Morning Surprise  
  
"Now what are we going to do?" Kagome asked, gesturing frantically. Inuyasha yanked his arm back down. "I told you not to let the kid play with it." he grumbled.  
"I could have done it!" Shippou wailed. "But Kagome reached out and Sango pushed me-"  
Three pairs of eyes turned toward the suspect. Sango held her hands up in front of her. "I didn't!" she insisted, with the tiniest sparkle in her eyes. "Why would I do something like that? I _like_ Kagome!"  
"And I suppose being chained to her is a treat for me?" Inuyasha yanked on the cuffs meaningfully.   
"You're taking this much better than expected." Miroku remarked.   
"He's right." Shippou said. "I thought you'd be beating me up by now."  
"I'll get to it." Inuyasha grumbled. "But first I'm going to get myself out of this."  
"And me too." Kagome added.   
Miroku raised an eyebrow. "This should be highly amusing." he said quietly to Sango, who nodded in silent agreement.  
  
Three hours later...  
Yawn. "Inuyasha, I'm tired."  
"Stop whining, Kagome! I almost got it."  
"That's what you said before the fire died! C'mon, the batteries in my flashlight are going to run out."  
"So? You can get new ones. Just a little bit more.."  
  
Meanwhile..  
Shippou was snoring softly away, snuggled warmly in Kagome's empty sleeping bag. Sango and Miroku were leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree, watching in sleepy wonder as Inuyasha probed the lock with a needle he found in Kagome's backpack. "You know," Miroku said, stifling a yawn. "I can't decide whether Inuyasha is really determined, or really stupid."  
"It's a mixture of both." Sango replied, so tired that she didn't realize she was leaning against Miroku. "I mean, you'd think it'd kill him to spend one night chained together. He can always figure it out in the morning. At least he'll have his demon powers then."  
Apparently, the same thought had occured to Kagome. "Inuyasha," she began. "if you rest now, then you can figure it out in the morning, when you have your demon powers back."  
"I can do it in this form." Inuyasha insisted.  
"Please?" At her wit's end, Kagome put on her largest eyes. "I'm sooo tired."  
Inuyasha growled. "Fine. But as soon as my demon powers return, I'm getting us out of this."   
"Yes!" Kagome cheered. "Okay, bedtime."  
......................  
Inuyasha and Kagome eyed each other. "I'm not sharing a sleeping bag with Shippou." Inuyasha announced.   
"Well, I don't want to sleep in a tree!" Kagome shot back.  
Miroku and Sango looked at each other, and came to a silent agreement. A few seconds later, a blanket landed on Inuyasha and Kagome. "What?" Inuyasha pushed the quilt away and glared at Miroku. "What the hell are you doing?"  
"Shut up." Miroku said crossly. "Sango and I won't be able to get any sleep if you two don't stop arguing. So you'll have to compromise; Sango is going to use the sleeping bag, and I'll take the other blanket. You two'll have to share."  
Kagome thought this over. If she was going to get any sleep at all, she figured, she might as well settle for this.   
"Okay," she decided. "But-" here she glared at Inuyasha. "if you even think about touching me, I will kick you so hard that you'll never, _ever_ have children. Ever."  
Both Miroku and Inuyasha winced at that. "Don't you think that's sort of harsh?" Miroku asked.   
"Hey," Sango spoke up. "a girl's gotta learn how to defend herself."  
"Don't worry." Inuyasha rolled his purple eyes. "Like I'd even want to touch her."  
Kagome growled. "Sit!"  
"Bitch!" Inuyasha cursed, lying still to prevent more injury. Kagome held her arm over his, so as to prevent her from body slamming the ground too. "Well, you shouldn't insult me." Kagome said primly.   
"Women." Inuyasha muttered, pulling himself up gingerly. "I mean, she doesn't want me to touch her, but I can't say that I _don't_ want to touch her either. What's the deal?"   
Miroku shrugged. "You just don't know how to handle them." he said mildly. "Think about it.. of the only two women who you've been romantically involved with in the past 60 or so years, one of them shot you into a 50 year sleep, and the other is threatening to ... unman you. I might also mention," he continued. "that a record of two women total is really pretty lame for a 60 plus year old demon, you know."  
Inuyasha growled, but before he could cause Miroku bodily harm, Kagome said, "Inuyasha and I aren't romantically involved!"  
"Could've fooled me." Miroku said cheerfully. "After all, when we go into town, what are the villagers going to think, besides that the two of you were experimenting and got a little...kinky?"  
Kagome shrieked in frustration. "Handcuffs aren't even invented yet! They won't think anything!"  
"Hey," Sango commented. "I mean, I live in this era, and if it weren't for your explanation, I wouldn't know what handcuffs were either. But.. it does seem kinda kinky.. you know, something Miroku might use."  
Miroku grinned. "Good idea.. you think Kagome can bring me back some next time?"  
Kagome dropped her head into her hands and wondered how the conversation had gone so off track. "Well." she said firmly. "Tomorrow morning, which is just in a few hours, in fact-" here she treated everyone to a scowl. ("Obviously Kagome really needs sleep, or else she gets grumpy." Miroku whispered to Inuyasha, who nodded in agreement.) "Inuyasha will get back his demon powers," Kagome continued, raising her voice to get the point across. "and the whole thing will be nothing again. So let me sleep! Please."  
"You heard her." Sango commanded. "Besides, I'd also like to get some sleep before the sun rises and Inuyasha starts banging away at the cuffs again."  
  
Five minutes later..  
"Inuyasha?"  
"Dammit, Miroku! Aren't you asleep yet?"  
"I bet you can't sleep, huh?" Inuyasha seethed at the smugness in Miroku's tone. "Afraid you'll start dreaming and accidentally touch Kagome?"  
"I'm not afraid of her." Inuyasha snarled. "Now shut up and go off into your hentai dreamland."  
"Not a bad idea, Inuyasha. I will if you will."  
"What's that supposed to mean?! I'm not a pervert like you."  
Miroku made a humming noise. "Whatever you say, Inuyasha."  
"Why you..."  
"Quiet! You'll wake the girls."  
"Who started this anyway?"  
"Just thought you'd like a little chat, since obviously you're not going to be getting any sleep tonight."  
"Who says? I ain't afraid of the damn girl. A kick from her probably wouldn't even hurt."  
A chuckle. "Whatever you say."  
Inuyasha growled, his anger only mounting when he heard the even breathing that told him Miroku was sound asleep. What was the absolute worst though, what had Inuyasha wanting to kill Miroku, was that he didn't fall asleep for the rest of the night.  
  
An innocent beam of early morning sunshine lit up the clearing. Inuyasha leapt out of the blankets, dragging Kagome along with him. Seconds later, loud and very inventive cursing pulled the others out of their deep slumber. The beam of sunlight decided to find another clearing.  
  
"Why am I still in this body?!" Inuyasha paced back and forth, with Kagome following, resigned. "I'm supposed to be a half demon now!"  
"That was no reason to wake us." Shippou said accusingly, thinking sadly of the dream he'd had involving ramen. "Think of it on the bright side," Miroku counseled. "maybe now you'll have more luck with women." Kagome realized what Inuyasha was going to do a split second before he dove at Miroku. "Sit!"  
"What did you do that for?!"   
Kagome crouched over Inuyasha's form. "Think about it." she demanded. "If you attacked him, you'd pull off my arm! It was a clear case of self defense."  
"But back to the original subject," Sango cut in, figuring that she might as well take the position of The Sane One. "why is Inuyasha still in this form?"  
"I don't know." Kagome said thoughtfully. "I think we should go ask Kaede-obasan. She'll probably know.. and she'll probably find a way to fix it too."  
"Fine." Miroku pulled himself up, keeping a safe distance away from Inuyasha. "Let's go. Maybe we'll be in time for breakfast."  
  
To be continued..  
  
Ending Notes: This wasn't too short, was it? Anyway, I'm in a dilemma. With a story like this, it seems short of natural that the plot might turn.. limey. o.O I'm not sure how many want it to be lime and how many want to keep it clean... so if you could tell me? In a review or an email or something? It'd totally help.. and I won't be stuck with having to make this tough decision all by myself.. ^^;;; And I'm pretty sure it won't go into lemon, since I'd be pretty inadequate at that... ..... Ahem. Right. So, tell me, okay?! Good. Also.. I think I have a new idea for an AU ficcy... 


	3. Plastic vs. Magic

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! ^_^ I always write better when I know someone's reading my work. ^^;;;;  
Also because my friend, Grace, was telling me, "Carolyn! Get chapter three out!" And then, I came up with this idea of an AU ficcy, which I already wrote one chapter of. ^^;;;  
But according to Vicky and Grace, I shouldn't post it until I'm at least a couple of chapters into "Linked." I think they're right... it's best to finish one project before starting on another, ne? Not that I ever follow my own advice...  
  
Note: Okay, there's no lime in this chapter. Since some people didn't want lime in the story, I'll make it just a single chapter, and write a warning at the top. ^_~ There is this bathing scene, but it's clean and cute. At least, that's what I was aiming for. ^0^ Special request. ^_^Enjoy! Oh wait.. some cussing from Inuyasha, though. ^_^ Pretty bad language, but not a lot of it.  
  
Emmi-chan~ Hm.. Inuyasha as a pillow... waii... something we fangirls can only dream of, ne?   
  
LilFoxgirl~ Thanks for the input! ^_^ Yum! Marshmallow foxes! Hm.. I should build a bonfire, huh?   
  
Yamashita~ Thanks for your input, too! ^_^ You're absolutely right, no lemon in any of my stories. Well, at least not so far. I love WAFF! I live for WAFF... graphics sometimes makes me sick. ^_^ Well, not literally... aiiya, it depends. I just stay away from graphics.   
  
Kai~ Hehe.. I believe "lime it" is the cutest thing I've ever heard. ^_^ Thanks! I'm going to try to keep it adorable.. ^^;;  
  
Stormie~ Hehe...I'd rather pretend to be the girl. ^^;;; But you're absolutely right.. I can't tiptoe around the plot line.. that wouldn't seem natural. I think I'll just go.. with whatever flows, right? ^_^ Thanks for the review!! No problem about the manhole.. happens all the time. ^_^';;; Doesn't it?  
  
Kanna~ Well, our Inuyasha looks gorgeous however he is, but don't worry, you'll find out why he's human in this chapter. ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Azurite~ That thought is just beautiful!! ^_^ Can't wait until she has to go back for supplies, ne? Thanks for reviewing!  
  
kitty~ Thanks for your opinions! I definitely won't make it a lime, so that's nothing to worry about. I know the first chapter was sort of slow in getting started.. ^_^ For once, I think I won't apologize about my writing. Haha.. ^_^ No, wait, that's not what I meant. I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy it as much... but I guess I'm not sorry I wrote it. ^_^ Whaha..I seriously need a psychologist. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!  
  
Cherokey~ Hehe.. thanks for reviewing!  
  
Embyr~ You.. you .. laughed? *tears of gratitude* It was funny?! YAY!! *runs around*  
  
Demon-Wolf~ Haha..I mean, don't cry! *hands you tissue* Here, here's the next chapter!  
  
Kumi Boa~ Thanks for reviewing! ^_^_^_^ And for the encouragement, of course.  
  
SacredWings~ Haha.. here's your chapter three! Thanks for all the encouragement and support and stuff. ^_^_^ Update your own ficcy! I agree, Forgotten was *sort of* sad. I don't know.. it just feels blurry to me.   
  
Hanyou Kells~ Yay! Finally Sesshy has chained himself down to someone! Well, maybe not himself... but thanks for the review!  
  
Nim~HEhe... here's your bath scene idea, I hope it was good enough for you! ^_^ Thanks for the review!  
  
freeda~ Funny lime is almost as good as chocolate. ^_^ Hm.. wait, what am I saying?! Nothing's as good as _chocolate_! But I'll do my bestest! ^_^  
  
fushigi-heart~ I'm so glad you're enjoying it. *gets teary eyed* I love you reviewers. ^_^  
  
CreatiStar~ Hey.. pretty good theory. ^_- Close enough to the truth, actually. ^_^ I'm glad you like this ficcy enough to keep reading even after a limey part. ^_^ I'll do the lime as a separate chapter without any important plotness, kee? ^_^ That way you won't miss anything, but other people can get their limeyness... whahahahaaa..  
  
LilInugirl~ So much innocent faith... ^_^ Thanks for reviewing! Enjoy!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and Co. but my birthday is coming up! *hint hint* Waha... I'm just kidding. *starts writing wish list*  
  
Dedication: Oooh! Oooh! I dedicate this to Ken from Weiss Kreuz. He is SO cute! I currently have three pictures of him on my binder... wah! Even if you've never heard of the anime, I think it's worth it just to go look his picture up online. ^_^ Omi's cute too, but Ken's the best! *cheers* And to my friend Vicky, since it's her birthday tomorrow. Happy Birthday!  
  
  
  
Chapter Three: Plastic vs. Magic  
  
"Ramen, ramen." Shippou chanted.   
"Shut up!" Inuyasha growled. Shippou ignored him in the exasperating way only small children and animals can.  
"Ramen, ramen."  
"You little-!"  
"Ramen, ramen."  
"Shippou-chan," Kagome said sweetly. "I don't have anymore. You'll have to wait until we get to Kaede-obasan's, okay?"  
Shippou gave cheery grin. "Okay."  
Sango burst into giggles at the look in Inuyasha's face.   
  
"Kaede! Hey, old lady, you in here?"  
"Inuyasha! That's so rude."  
"So?"  
"Aiiii.."  
"What's all the shouting about?" Kaede exited a nearby hut and approached them, eyeing Kagome and Inuyasha warily. "I see you've overcome your differences." A slight pause. "Again."  
"See?" Miroku said smugly. "People do think it's kinky."  
Inuyasha flicked him an annoyed glance, but his attention was on Kaede.   
"We have a problem." Kagome explained.  
"And you'd better be able to fix it." Inuyasha added. Kagome narrowed her eyes and yanked her hand forward, so that Inuyasha was pulled to his knees. "What the hell was that for?"  
"You shut up! I'll explain everything."  
"Damn woman.."  
  
"I see." Kaede said, after a lengthy pause. "Well, I think I know why Inuyasha cannot transform back into his usual form."  
"Tell me." Inuyasha growled threateningly.   
Kagome glared. "I'll say the 's' word." she warned.   
"I want to know!"   
"She's going to tell us. Just let her speak."  
"Well," Kaede said. "I believe that Inuyasha's demon power cannot travel through an unknown medium."  
"Meaning?" Inuyasha was impatient.  
"This material." Kaede gestured to the handcuffs.   
"Plastic." Kagome supplied.  
"Plastic, yes." Kaede said. "This has not been yet been invented in our time. When it is connected to Inuyasha, it acts as sort of a lock, I suppose. It is too alien and unfamiliar for his ancient demon blood to pass through."  
Inuyasha seemed speechless. For about three seconds.   
"You mean I have to stay as a human until the handcuffs come off?!"   
"It can't be helped." Kaede shrugged. "It was your fault for thinking that you could get out of it in the first place. So now all you have to do is prove that it's possible. Shouldn't be so hard for the mightly Inuyasha now, should it?"  
Inuyasha growled.   
  
"Shouldn't we be looking for the Shikon shard?" Shippou asked Sango.   
She patted his head absently. "Hold on. I want to watch Inuyasha use a vegetable knife on the handcuffs."  
"Inuyasha! You'll scratch it!"  
"That's the point. That way, it'll come off."  
"But this is Souta's present! Don't break it!"  
"Would you rather we be stuck together like this forever?"  
.............  
"Hm... do you snore?"  
"Kagome!"  
"I'm just kidding! Still, can't you find a way to undo the lock without cutting the whole thing in half?"  
"Hold still. This should do it.."  
Just as he was about to bring the knife down, Kagome shrieked. The blade fell harmlessly onto the grass.   
"Kagome! What did you do that for?"  
"Sorry, sorry! I was afraid you'd cut off my finger or something."  
"Idiot!"  
"Hey, you're the idiot!"  
  
Shippou rolled in the warm green grass, enjoying the feel of the late afternoon sun against his fur. His eyes closed, he frowned when a shadow blocked his sunlight.  
"Move, Miroku." he grumbled. When the sunlight didn't return, Shippou opened his eyes. And screamed.  
  
Sango's head snapped up. "Was that Shippou?!" Without looking back, she ran in the direction of the sound.   
  
Kagome looked up to see Sango scurry off, Kirara bouncing beside her. "Inuyasha, looks like something happened." Kagome said, pointing. "I think we should go see.. Sango looks sort of in a hurry. You think Shippou and Miroku are okay?"   
Inuyasha growled, and threw the knife at a nearby tree. The handle vibrated violently when it landed, and soon toned down into a quiver.   
"Fine." Inuyasha said. "Stupid knife doesn't work anyway."  
"You'll have to pull that out later." Kagome warned. "It belongs to Kaede."  
"Yeah, whatever. Let's go."  
Somewhat awkward because of the restricting handcuffs, Kagome clambered onto Inuyasha's back and they took off. When they got to the scene, Miroku and Sango were already fighting the demon. Shippou ran up to where Inuyasha landed, panting and sweaty. "It came out of nowhere!" he wailed. "Inuyasha, kill it! He says he wants to use my kitsune tail as earmuffs.." The crying began again. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and shoved the kitsune -who was clinging on to his leg- at Kagome. "See if he's hurt." Inuyasha instructed. "And hurry up. The priest and Sango aren't going to hold it for long."   
  
Being attached to Inuyasha meant that Kagome was in the middle of every attack. It also meant that Inuyasha spent more time protecting her than he did fighting.  
Finally, however, the tentacled demon lay still.  
"Is it dead?" Kagome whispered, peering over Inuyasha's shoulder.   
"Either that, or it's doing a hell of a imitation."  
Kagome bent down to Shippou's level, causing Inuyasha to tip off balance.  
"You okay?" she asked, concerned. Shippou was glaring at the corpse. "Yeah. I was scared though."  
"You were very brave." Kagome assured him, scooping the little kitsune into her arms. "I'll bring you a cookie next time."  
Shippou brightened immediately. "Really? Thanks, Kagome-chan! You're the best!"  
A few seconds later, Kagome made a discovery that made her drop Shippou and gape down at herself. "What's wrong?" Miroku asked, glancing up from bandaging Sango's arm. "I have demon guts on me!" Kagome felt like throwing up. Sango walked next to her. "I think that's a liver." she said mildly. Kagome paled. Of course, her own problems were forgotten when she saw the white cloth binding her friend's lower arm. "Are you okay?" she asked, instantly concerned. "Fine." Sango assured. "Just a scratch. You should take a bath though. You look like you're about to faint."  
"Definitely." Kagome declared. "I feel so dirty."  
She and Inuyasha looked at each other.   
"Shit."  
  
"I don't wanna put on a fucking blindfold!" Inuyasha growled. "What if someone attacks? I won't be able to see anything!"   
"You can take it off if someone attacks." Kagome said calmly, checking the knots one more time. "But if you do and nothing's wrong, I will say the 's' word so many times that all your bones will be crushed."  
"As if I'd want to look."   
"Didn't we have this conversation before?"  
"Don't start."  
Satisfied that the cloth was tight enough so that Inuyasha couldn't open his eyes, Kagome pulled off her dirty clothes and splashed into the water, pulling the dog demon along.   
"My clothes will get wet!" Inuyasha complained.   
"Take them off then." Kagome replied, impatient to begin scrubbing.   
"That's not fair. Why do you get to see me when I can't see you?"  
"Well, I'm not a pervert."  
"Neither am I!"  
"Uh-huh. Well, I'm going in, and you're coming with me. You have three seconds to make up your mind."  
"I hate you." Inuyasha grumbled, pulling off his shirt.   
"Your pants need to be washed anyway." Kagome said and he trailed relunctantly behind her, the red cloth instantly turning dark and water clogged. "Okay." Kagome said. "You stay there and don't move, okay? I'm going to wash my hair."  
Inuyasha sighed.  
"Are you done yet?"  
"No."  
"What about now?"  
"No!"  
  
Ten minutes later...  
"NOW?"  
"NO!"  
"How long does it take you to wash? You're not even that big!"   
"I'm almost done, hold on." Kagome ducked under the water one last time, and checked herself for any remaining drops of blood or ... worse.   
"All clean." she announced happily.   
"Good, let's go." Inuyasha headed in what he assumed was the direction of the shore. "Inuyasha, watch out-"  
"Shit!"  
"there's a boulder there." Kagome finished. As Inuyasha continued cursing, Kagome relented and tugged gently on his hand. "Come on, I'll get dressed and you can take your blindfold off."  
"About time." he grumbled. It wasn't until Kagome and Inuyasha had climbed back up onto the grass did she realize that her clothes were still a bloody mess. "Oops." she said sheepishly. "I have to wash my clothes."   
"It's almost dark." Inuyasha pointed out.   
"But if I don't, I won't have anything to wear!"   
"Don't you have any extra clothes?"  
"Hm." Kagome mentally went through the contents of her backpack. "I think so." she said doubtfully. "But what do I wear until we get back to the campsite?"   
Inuyasha sighed. "Fool. Well, you can wear my shirt."  
  
"Do not ever, ever, make me put on a blindfold again." Inuyasha threatened. "Stop complaining!" Kagome said cheerfully. "It all worked out, didn't it?"  
Inuyasha glanced at her, then blushed and turned away. He pulled the handcuffs impatiently. "Hurry up."  
A small sound of distress came from Kagome, but she didn't complain. Inuyasha glanced back, focusing on her arm, and not the rest of her body. That's when he saw the bruises where the handcuffs were.  
Kagome followed his gaze. "It's nothing." she said off-handedly. "Probably got it during the fight or something."  
Inuyasha couldn't tear his gaze away from the trail of light purple marring her pale skin. Before he knew what he was doing, he had reached out, and was rubbing her wrist gently.   
Kagome looked him in the eyes. "You know," she said softly. "you're really sweet sometimes." Inuyasha dropped his hand and scowled at her. "Shut up." Kagome smiled as they continued walking. "Stupid, sentimental girl." Inuyasha grumbled. But he didn't pull her anymore after that.  
  
Ending Notes: Well? Yes? No? Still have an issue about the whole lime thing? Bad? Good? Lame? What? Sorry.. I'm sort of depressed. -_- But I'm sure reviews will cheer me up.. wahaha. So... get out there! Press the little bar thingy down there! v 


	4. Souta's Storytime

A/N: *is cheerful* I love your reviews!! Wahh.. feeling much better, thanks to those to told me to. ^_^_^_^ Um.. a couple of you had doubts on the whole "Inuyasha-beating-a-demon-all-that-easily-while-protecting-Kagome" thing. Well, not to worry... I put an explanation in here. Heh. There goes plot hole #1. Okay, I think the lime scene will be in the next chapter, to all you impatient people out there. ^_^   
  
Disclaimer: Not mine... ;_;  
  
LilFoxgirl~ Ah! Don't steal Inuyasha! Well, if you do, will you share? ^_^  
  
Demon-Wolf~ Thanks for reviewing! ^_^ I hope you like this chapter as well.  
  
Jetflash~ Hehe.. thanks. Good review... ^_~  
  
Alina~ o.O I would rather be chained to Inuyasha. ^_^ Thanks! I'm no longer in depressed mode.  
  
ukyou~ Mornings... the only thing worst than waking up early in the morning is waking up early in the morning without coffee. *_*   
  
Lady Priestess~ Hehe.. thanks for reviewing!   
  
jen~ Well, the demon wasn't that hard, and Sango and Miroku were there.. but there's an explanation in this chapter. Thanks for watching out for plot holes! ^_^  
  
SacredWings~ Hehe.. thanks, Grace. I have to discuss this with you at school.. ^^;;;  
  
Waku-chan~ Well.. the lime is yet to come. ^_^ And when Inuyasha is mean, the sweetness at the end is extra sweet! At least, that's how I see it... ^^;;;  
  
kitty~ *giggles* Okay, you are by far my hardest reviewer. Don't ever change! ^_^ Seriously, though.. Miroku and Sango didn't help Inuyasha at the spider thing.. and the spider was a harder opponent than this one.. as the explanation will see. Thanks for the constructive criticism!! ^_^  
  
Emmi-chan~ Hehe.. it wasn't hard. Shippou-chan is just naturally adorable! And I love writing fluff.. it's just the plot parts that stumble me. - -;;  
  
Nizuno Mikomi~ I know what you mean.. I live for chocolate! But seriously though.. at least you have Inuyasha there to take out the frustration on! I just have a keyboard.. ^_^ Tell Inuyasha he should be happy.. he's chained to Kagome! Hehe...if he doesn't behave.. I'll write a ficcy where he's chained to Sesshy! ^_^   
  
Kumi Boa~ Soon.. soon... the longer you suffer, the better it'll be. At least, that's what I'm hoping... ^_^;;;   
  
Akara~ Hey, I'm glad you liked it! The reason my chapters are shorter is because I try to update often.. and because I'm addicted to reviews! ^_^ Enjoy!  
  
DarkflamesSolitude~ P-puppy eyes? Now how I can quit this fic? Just kidding. Thanks for reviewing! ^_^_^  
  
Embyr~ Thank you! Waii.. someone laughed at my fic! Well, I'm not so sure if you'll laugh anymore.. I've run out of funniess! Oh well.. ^_^ Good luck to me, huh?  
  
Selphine~ *giggles* Join the club! Hold on.. not that I'm ... ah, never mind. ^_^';; Uh.. definitely not lemon.. and I'm still contemplating on the lime. Heh. Well, hey, if I back out, you can always write a chapter, right? ^_^  
  
baka deshi~ Hehe.. the chapter wasn't meant to have lime... ^^;;; Aww.. chibi?! How cute!! *is crazy for anything chibi*  
  
fushigi-heart~Haha.. different? Not quite sure yet... maybe implications? Think lime-fans will be satisfied with that? ^_^  
  
nekomon~ What I wouldn't give to be in Kagome's postion right now? Hehee..well, enjoy!  
  
Nim~ Sorry if the chapter disappointed you... ^_~ I'm not that good at writing from a guy's point of view.. gotta work on that.  
  
CreatiStar~ You're a Carolyn too? Waii.. too cool for words. Not a great author, please, you flatter me. Of course unless you were talking about the author of Nancy Drew.. *sweatdrops* It'd be totally cool if you IM'ed me! I loooove talking to new people. AIM: FoxfireKitsune OR Skyweaver Chan.  
  
Pengesan-chan~ *sparkly eyes of happiness* A-another sign? Sugoi! *puts on wall next to Suboshi's framed picture, which replaced the perfect attendance award* That's ... *sighs* perfect!  
  
NekoBattouSai~Thanks so much for reviewing! Enjoy!  
  
dyaoka~ Hey.. Mimi, right? I talked to you online before. ^_^ I recall that we don't have the same taste in bishounen.. do me a favor and don't talk to Isabel about my ficcys, okay? She'd tattle, and I'd get in trouble for using bad words. *angel halo* "Who mama? Me? Bad words? Online? Of course not!" Think that'd work? So...no talkky, okee? ^_^  
  
Dedication: Suboshi and Amiboshi are sooooooo kawaii! And whoever came up with the term "twincest" is a creative genius.... ^_^  
  
Dawn found Kagome sprawled across Inuyasha, both of them sound asleep. Not for long was this to last, however. Kagome blinked her eyes open sleepily, then abruptly realized where she was. "Pervert!" she shrieked, sitting up. Inuyasha opened one eye and saw Kagome sitting on him. "Go away." he mumbled, turning over. Kagome promptly fell off of him. "It's cold out here!" she exclaimed, ducking into the blankets again. "Inuyasha." she whispered. He ignored her. "Inuyasha.." Kagome added a gentle poke to that.   
"What?" he growled, wondering which cursed deity was currently rolling on the floor in laughter at his situation. "Why are you so grumpy?" Kagome asked curiously, propping herself up on one elbow. "You usually wake up pretty ... awake."  
Inuyasha buried his face in his arms, not mentioning to Kagome just how hard it was to try and sleep with a very attractive girl practically wrapped around you. Not that Kagome knew she moved around in her sleep..  
"What do you want?" he snarled. "I want to sleep before the kitsune wakes up and starts bouncing around."  
"I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to go through the well today, now that we've got the Shikon shards from the demon yesterday."  
"Why would I want to go through the well? You'd better not have another one of those "test" things."  
"That's not it! I want to ask Souta-chan for the key to the handcuffs."  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Inuyasha sat up, letting in a sweep of cold air. Kagome yanked him back down. "Baka." she scolded. "Can't you at least wait until the sun comes out and warms things up?"  
"You're the one who woke me." he grumbled, but pulled the blanket over her.   
  
"Why are you leaving?" Shippou asked plantively.   
Kagome knelt down to Shippou's level. Inuyasha fell on top of her.   
"Ouch!"  
"Tell me when you bend down!"  
"Get off!"  
"You're on top of _me_!"  
"Am not!"  
  
Miroku and Sango stood at a safe distance, watching the blooming argument.   
"Young love." Miroku sighed. Sango gave him a look. "Where'd that come from?"  
"Or maybe it's young lust." Miroku continued. Sango rolled her eyes.   
  
"Anyway," Kagome explained, sitting with Shippou on her lap and Inuyasha grumbling beside her. "Inuyasha and I have to go back through the well to find the key to the handcuffs. We'll be right back, Shippou-chan."  
"With my cookie?"  
"Yes." Kagome promised. "I'll even bring you back some candy."  
Shippou's eyes lit up. "Chocolate?"  
Kagome laughed. "Sure."  
Inuyasha sat up. "Are you crazy?" he demanded. "If you give that kid chocolate, he'll be hyper until he hits puberty!"  
Kagome glared at him, then set Shippou on the ground. "We'll be right back." she said again. "Bye, Shippou-chan."  
Shippou waved, already lost in daydreams about chocolate and cookies. Kagome turned around to wave to Miroku and Sango, then jumped down the well, pulling Inuyasha with her.  
  
"Souta-chan? Souta? Where are you?"   
Souta dragged his eyes away from the Tv and ran to the front door. "Who is it?" he called dutifully, like his mom had made him practice before letting him stay home alone.  
"It's Kagome! Open up!"  
"How do I know it's really you?" he called back, eyes drifting back to the television again. "Go Charmander!" he cheered.   
"Souta! Open the door! Inuyasha's with me." Kagome added. Souta's eyes widened, Pokemon forgotten. Who needed cartoons when there was a real live demon at your door?  
He yanked the door open, looking up with fascination.   
"Inuyasha!"  
Inuyasha sighed. They went through this everytime. "Hey, kid."  
"Can I touch your.. hey, where are your ears?"  
"I'm a human." Inuyasha snapped. "But I can still hurt you if you bother me." This threat didn't seem to bother Souta at all as he turned to his sister.   
"Hey, sis," he said, eyeing her suspiciously. "Why are you wearing different clothes? And why are you chained to Inuyasha? And.. are those _my_ handcuffs?"  
"Yes, and I'd love to know how they got in my backpack." Kagome replied frostily. Souta, of course, was not a little brother for nothing. "Well, I'd been looking for it." he said, snapping his fingers. "Darn cat! Must have stolen it from me."   
Kagome rolled her eyes. "To answer your question, I had to change into this set of clothes because a demon ruined my school uniform. I guess mama's got to write another check to the unifrom department."  
"Mama said that it's going to come out of your allowance." Souta informed her. "And tell me all about the demon fight!"   
"First," Kagome bargained. "you give me the key to the handcuffs."  
"No." Souta leaned back against the wall confidently. "Story first. Keys later."   
"Why you-" Inuyasha glared at Souta, who smiled sweetly. "Mama's going to mad if Inuyasha hurts me." Souta said to Kagome, who was glaring at him too. "Besides, I missed my big sister. One story?" Kagome softened. "One." she said. "Then you hand over the keys."  
Souta beamed. "Hai, hai. Let's go to the living room."  
"You are such a pushover." Inuyasha told Kagome.  
"First," Souta said, sitting wide eyed on a armchair. "what was the demon like?"  
"It was probably your size." Kagome said. "And it had four tentacles, but it was out of water, so I guess it's not a sea creature or anything. It was black."  
"What attack did it have?" Souta probably wasn't aware that he was quoting Pokemon.  
Kagome thought it over, then turned to Inuyasha. He shrugged. "Nothing. Just that if it grabbed you, it could probably snap your neck. Still, it was a pretty weak demon."  
"So you beat it all by yourself?"  
Inuyasha shrugged again. It still irked him that he needed Miroku and Sango's help to beat the demon in his human form. Kagome seemed to sense his mood and answered the question for him. "Well, of course, Inuyasha was too busy protecting me and Shippou, so Miroku and Sango helped out a little."  
"He fought the demon in human form?" Souta's respect for Inuyasha doubled.   
"Story's over." Inuyasha interrupted. "Where are the keys, kid?"  
Souta pouted. "That wasn't even a real story." he complained, but knew better than to provoke Inuyasha any further. "Well, I guess you guys want to keys now."   
Kagome nodded eagerly. "Even though," Souta continued. "I think it's pretty stupid that you two go locked together _accidently_." There was that suspicious look again. "Mama wouldn't be happy to see you chained to a _boy_ Kagome." This reminded her.. "Speaking of whom, Souta-chan, where is mama?"  
"Oh, she and grandpa went to visit their friend.. I think she had a stroke."   
"How sad!" Kagome exclaimed.  
"Oh wait." Souta amended. "Mama's friend's cat had a stroke." Kagome blinked. "Why does mama and grandpa have to go see her then?"  
Souta shrugged. "She loved the cat very much." he intoned. Inuyasha growled impatiently. "Keys?!"   
"Oh yeah." Souta smiled nervously. "I don't have them."  
"You don't have them?!" Kagome reached her brother before Inuyasha could. "You'd better have a very good explanation for this." she threatened, grimacing. Souta edged toward the door. "Of course I do. Um.. see, I let my friend borrow the kit,"   
"You let your friend borrow that?! You know how expensive it was?!" Kagome looked even angrier now. Inuyasha shoved her back onto the couch. "That's not the point here. Why don't we go buy another one of those.. 'kit' things? Then we'll use the keys from those."  
"Oh, don't you know?" Souta said innocently. "The keys are one of a kind. That's one of the reasons it's so expensive."  
"I don't have any more money anyway." Kagome waved that idea away. "Souta, all you have to do is go to your friend's house! Get the kit back and set us free."  
Souta eyed the doorknob. "Well," he said. "I might have let out a teeny detail."   
"And that would be?" this time Inuyasha didn't stop Kagome from standing.   
"My friend... Rei-kun... he's um.. he went to America yesterday."  
Inuyasha thought Kagome would turn purple. "You gave away your birthday present? From me?!"  
"No no no." Souta assured her. "I just let him borrow it. Don't worry, Kagome, he'll be back in a couple of months."  
Kagome stared in speechlessness, then suddenly collapsed onto the couch. Of course, she landed right on Inuyasha. "Oomph. What am I?" he complained. "A damn pillow?"   
"What are we going to do?" Kagome wailed. "We'll be stuck forever!"  
"Not forever." Souta protested. "Only a few-"  
"Shut up, kid." Inuyasha interrupted. "Look, just let me break these things, okay?"  
Kagome glared at Souta. "I guess that's the only way now. Just watch, Souta, that'll be the last present I ever get you."  
Souta pouted. "It's not my fault that you decided to chain yourself to your boyfriend."  
"Boyfriend?" Kagome began to see red.   
"We don't have time to fool around." Inuyasha interrupted. "Let's go to the kitchen. We can use the knives in there." Souta paled. "Kn- knives?" Kagome rolled her eyes. "For the handcuffs, little idiot. I'll deal with _you_ later."  
Souta gulped.  
  
Ending Notes: Hm.. I guess the lime thing won't be in the next chapter, then. Ah well. Who knows.. I might chicken out and not write one at all. I'm afraid the next chapter might be a while in coming.. because the rest of my weekend is filled up, and I'm running out of.. plot. Not to worry, of course, because I'll come up with something. I'm also running out of funny... so maybe I'll post my new ficcy? ^_^ Review! Oh.. and I'd like your opinion on whether I should post my new Inuyasha fic now.. or after I finish Linked. ^_~ Remember... you _have_ to review... just because they help disintegrate the gigantic writer's block sitting on my desk. Til next chapter:  
C  
March 16, 2oo2 


	5. True Love and the Meaning of Life

A/N: Ah..*sweatdrops* Yes.. I know that it's been a while. Well, faithful readers, here's the situation. I'll be ending Linked in a couple of chapters, because.. well.. it was never meant to be a long thing anyway,. and I do want to concentrate on Road Trip. Heh. Also, I've decided not to write a lime scene. Sorry for all those who were expecting/hoping for one.. but I just can't do it. Sorry. ^_^....Call it my immaturity. - -;;; Don't be mad..  
  
Disclaimer: Nope.  
  
Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to my research assistant, otherwise known as Grace. This chapter definitely would've taken longer without you. ^_^  
  
Chapter 5:   
Souta followed timidly behind as Inuyasha and Kagome crossed the living room. "Where's your kitchen?" Inuyasha asked impatiently. Before Kagome or Souta could reply, however, the sound of a loud, wheeezing car hummed. Kagome froze. Inuyasha frowned. "What's that sound?" he hissed.  
"It's my grandpa's car!" Kagome started pulling Inuyasha toward the back door. "Kagome!" he protested. "Where are you going? We need a knife-oof!" Kagome gave him an extra hard yank into the back yard, leaving Souta behind to wave at them. "I'll distract mama!" Souta called out. "Don't you think you're getting off this easily!" Kagome called back. "But thanks anyway."  
"Kagome!"  
"Come on, Inuyasha! Imagine what my mom would say if she found out we were chained together! She'd never let me go through the well again if she thought anything was happening between us."  
"What do you mean, happening between us?"  
"Never mind, come on!"  
"Why don't you just tell her what happened?"  
"Well, how are we going to explain having already spent two nights stuck like this? Nights?!"  
"Why can't you tell her that it just happened a few minutes ago?"  
"Because she won't believe me, that's why. My mama can tell whenever I'm lying. It's awful. It'll be easier to go back and figure out another way."  
"Great. Well, you better have some plan to get us out of this. I mean, when I'm stuck in this form, and chained to you, how the hell are we supposed to find any shards?"  
"can you not think about the shards for _one_ moment, please? My life is on hold until I can get this thing off!"   
"What do you mean, on hold?"  
"Ah! Never mind!"  
  
Shippou pounced on Kagome the moment she emerged from the well. "I missed you!" Kagome giggled and hugged him back. "I was only gone a little while."  
"Er..why are you two still chained together?" Miroku grinned. "Did you decide that you liked it better that way?"  
Sango whacked him. "Shut up." she scolded. "What happened?" she turned to Kagome.  
Inuyasha sighed. "She got so caught up in telling her little brother stories that we couldn't get to the knives!"  
"Did not!"  
"Did too!"  
"Did-"  
"Knives?" Miroku interrupted. "What happened to the keys?"  
Kagome thought about explaining to them about airplanes and America. "Nothing." she said hastily. "It's a long story. Souta doesn't have them, though."  
"I'm tired of being chained together." Inuyasha complained.   
"Oh, and I'm thrilled." Kagome replied sarcastically. "But the truth is, we've got to bear it until we find a knife sharp enough to cut through this stupid material."  
"What about the Tetsusaiga?" Shippou piped up. "That sword can cut anything!"  
Inuyasha sneered. "I know. But-" Here his expression darkened. "I can't use it when I'm in this stupid body."  
"Oh, stop complaining." Kagome teased. "I think you look cute in this body."  
"Like me?" Shippou asked eagerly from her arms. Kagome looked down. "Erm.. yes, Shippou-chan."  
"What?! You think I look like that little midget?" Inuyasha pushed Shippou head down, so that his eyes met Kagome. She blushed. "Well.. maybe not the exact same way."  
Inuyasha smirked. "I thought so."  
Miroku whistled. "For someone with no experience," he said to Sango. "he's not half bad at this."   
Sango rolled her eyes. "Oh, and of course you'd be an expert."   
Miroku grinned. "Of course."  
Kagome collapsed under the shade of a tree, dragging Inuyasha down with her. "What do we do now?" Kagome wondered aloud. "I mean, we definitely can't be stuck like this forever! But how are we supposed to get the keys back?"  
"Yeah." Inuyasha grumbled. "I'm tired of being blindfolded all the time."  
"Well, this is all your fault anyway." Kagome retorted, eyes closed.  
"How?!" Inuyasha demanded, sitting up. "In fact, isn't it.."  
Two pairs of eyes turned to the little kitsune, who was sleeping in Sango's lap, the afternoon sunlight playing across his miniture features. "Aww.." Kagome cooed. "Well, it was just an accident. Sit!"  
Inuyasha, who had gotten up-presumably to rudely awaken Shippou-crashed back down again. "Well, if it weren't for the brat, we wouldn't be stuck like this!"  
"Is it _that_ bad?" Kagoem asked.  
Inuyasha swallowed, trying to avoid her gaze. "Well," he muttered. "it's hard to find shards and stuff when we're tied together."  
Kagome sighed. That was as good an answer as any. "Well, I'm tired." she said. "I'm going to take a nap, okay, Inuyasha?"  
  
~*Ten Minutes Later*~  
Kagome lay on the grass, staring up at the green leaves of the tree above her. Inuyasha lay a foot away, breathing evenly. 'He must be really exhausted.' Kagome thought. 'Inuyasha never falls asleep this fast.' She sat up cautiously, so as not to wake him. 'This is no use.' she thought. 'I can't fall asleep.' Sango, noticing that Kagome was awake, dropped Shippou in Miroku's lap and sat quietly down next to Kagome. "How come all the guys fell asleep so fast?" Sango grumbled. Kagome grinned. "I know."  
The two sat in companionable silence for a while, until Kagome suddenly thought of something. "Ne, Sango," she began, keeping her voice down. "What was bothering you the other day? You know, before Inuyasha and I got handcuffed together?"  
Sango blushed. "It's nothing."  
"Tell me!" Kagome insisted. "You'll feel better if you let it out."  
Sango paused and looked around to make sure all three of the males were deeply asleep. "Okay, you know how Miroku used to be sort of interested in me?"  
Kagome snorted. "Sort of interested? He wouldn't stop groping you!"  
"Um." Sango said. "Right. But now he doesn't!"  
"Doesn't grope you? Shouldn't you be happy about that?"  
Sango looked down at her hands. "I guess I am. It's just that... why doesn't he like me anymore?"  
Kagome's heart went out to her friend. "Ano.. Sango! Maybe he's just learning how to be a human being now."  
Sango looked at Kagome. Then she burst out laughing.   
  
Inuyasha was awakened by the sound of someone's gleeful giggling. Most people's hearts would be warmed by this happy sound. Inuyasha felt a strong desire to rip out the lungs of whoever was producing it. He rolled around, forgetting, at the moment, of his bond with Kagome, and fell back asleep.  
Kagome looked down in surprise as Inuyasha rolled into her lap. She nudged Sango. "Do you think he's still asleep?"  
Sango studied Inuyasha. "Well," she said. "his eyes are closed. I bet he is. I mean, Inuyasha wouldn't be caught dead sleeping on your lap."  
Kagome raised an eyebrow.   
"He was injured that time!" Sango protested.  
Kagome grinned and smoothed Inuyasha's shiny black hair. "You're right."  
  
And soon, another eventless day passed. Inuyasha was still restless, but as Kagome pointed out to him so many times: they couldn't risk their lives and the lives of their companions to try fighting while so vunerable. And Kagome still couldn't go home attached to Inuyasha. The only thing to do all day was think up ways to unlock the handcuffs. "The simplest thing to do," Miroku said as they sat around a cheerful campfire. "is to cut off your hands."  
There was a dead silence for one second, during which crickets could be heard. Then Shippou started wailing, Sango started whacking Miroku for even coming up with such an idea, and Kagome turned pale enough to have Inuyasha muttering curses and looking somewhat worried. "That's stupid." he said, after everyone had quieted down somewhat.  
"You asked for suggestions." Miroku grumbled, sporting rather colorful bruises on his arm. "I gave you one. What's all the fuss?"  
"This is so stupid!" Kagoem exclaimed, exasperated. "I mean, this is plastic! There has got to be a way to get it off! Even if we do have to go back through the well and use a chain saw, or something!"  
"Well," Sango soothed. "if it does come to that, you two can head back tomorrow morning. But don't you think that you should sleep on the idea? People will ask about Inuyasha, you know."   
Kagome thought about her friends back at school. She remembered, rather distinctly, once when a visiting student had joined their class for a day. He had had black hair and dark blues eyes, which weren't exactly like Inuyasha's purple, but close enough to have Kagome noticing the similarity. All the girls in the class, except for the few who were devoted to their boyfriends, had swarmed around him. Walking home, Kagome's friend had been sulking about how she hadn't even gotten to talk to "that cute new guy". And, Kagome thought with the slightest twinge of jealousy, that guy wasn't even half as good looking as human Inuyasha. If they were to go through the well and into public, Inuyasha would be ripped to shreds by schoolgirls in no time. Not even his disposition would be able to chase them away, Kagome thought. Okay, so perhaps she was exaggerating. But she really didn't want to have to go back, especially since there was a large probability that her mother would spot her. "There has got to be a better way." Kagome said out loud. "Let's not go back through the well unless it's absolutely neccesary, okay Inuyasha?"  
He shrugged. "Whatever."  
  
~*Midnight, or somewhere around it*~  
"Inuyasha?"  
"What?"   
Kagome sighed and propped herself up with one arm. "I still can't sleep."   
"Just turn off your mind. Your body needs rest."  
Kagome blew out and breath. "I can't!"   
Inuyasha grumbled. "What's wrong? Are you cold or something?"  
Kagome shook her head. "It's not that. The stars are pretty tonight."  
Inuyasha buried his face in the pillow. "They're always like that."  
Kagome didn't reply, thinking that if she couldn't sleep, she at least shouldn't keep Inuyasha from getting his rest. However, a few moments later, it was Inuyasha who spoke up. "What are you thinking about?"  
If Kagome was surprised, she did a good job at hiding it. "I don't know.. about finding the shards, I guess. Inuyasha?"  
"What?"  
"Are you really going to turn into a full demon when this is all over?"  
"Yes."   
"But why?" Kagome asked. "What if you turn into a monster?"  
"I won't." Inuyasha said defiantly. "I'll be me, just stronger."  
"You're already strong." Kagome murmured.   
"Not strong enough."  
Kagome knew he was thinking about Kikyou. "Do you still love her?"  
There was silence, and she thought that maybe he wasn't going to answer.   
"No." When Inuyasha replied, Kagome almost regretted asking. His voice sounded so tired.   
"I don't think.. I don't think it was love the first time." he continued. "We.. were very alike. But love.. " he sighed. " I don't know."  
"What do you mean, you don't know?" Kagome said.   
Inuyasha sounded irritated. "I don't know what love is."  
"How can you not know that?" Kagome exclaimed. "You'll know it when you feel it."  
"Then obviously I haven't felt it." Inuyasha replied, growling a little.   
"Well," Kagome asserted. "you'll definitely know it when you feel it. And I did say when, not if. Love is about trusting, and laughing and protecting and happiness and everything that's important in the world."  
"Trust." Inuyasha said quietly, almost as if to himself. "We didn't have that."   
Kagome hugged him impulsively. "You'll find it one day." she assured him.   
"How do you know?" Inuyasha asked.   
"Because you deserve it." Kagome patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it."  
"I wasn't, until you brought up the subject."  
"This is all very sweet and all," Kagome and Inuyasha froze. It was Miroku's voice. "but do you think you could let the rest of us sleep a little? We can discuss true love and the meaning of life in the morning."   
There was a sleepy giggle from Sango's direction. "Miroku's right, you guys."  
Kagome blushed. "Sorry." She laid her head on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Good night, Inuyasha." He put his arms around her automatically. "Whatever."  
  
  
Ending Notes: Aiiii.. I'm sooo sorry that this chapter was so late. Between coming home late and having a stupid sister hogging the computer, I could barely get any writing done. Of course, it could be because I'm lazy. Eek. Anyway, thanks to all the people who reviewed. I swear it made me write faster.. aiii. Can't wait to get my own laptop.. sheesh. ^_^ Review time! Oh, also, I know this is too short, but it was as good a ending place as any. I'm thinking that there'll be one more chapter to go. Ja!  
  
Review Replies:  
RabidFluffyFan~ Hehe..I love those fat smileys. ^^  
  
LilFoxGirl~ It's not that unlikely... ^_^. Many Japanese people travel often. =p I'm just kidding. I know it's a little farfetched... but America is just far enough so that they have no hope of getting the keys back. ^^ I love little brothers! Of course, I don't have any of my own..  
  
the green smurf~ I have a fanatic! *dances* Whee! Haha.. I'm very sorry that this chapter is out so late..  
  
KurroNeko-Yasha~ *sweatdrops* Thanks..  
  
Mynuet~ Cute username! ^^ Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Samara-chan~ Don't worry, they'll be chained for a while longer..  
  
baka deshi~ ^_~ Great idea! Hehe..much easier to find the fic now, eh? Thanks for suggesting that! Don't you just love little brothers? ^^  
  
Kai~ Hehe.. desperadoes... isn't there a song for that? *starts humming* Ne.. sorry! ^^  
  
ana barton~ Whew.. glad to know I chose the right title, ne? ^^ Thanks for reading!   
  
Ruby Hatchet~ Heh. *sheepish* I guess I didn't make it clear.. ano... but Kagome's shirt was so ripped up that it sorta.. fell off. ^^;;;;; Aii.. maybe I should change that part a little, ne?  
  
Momo~ ^^;;; As you can see.. the writer's block didn't clear up. *sweatdrops* Sorry this chapter took so long..  
  
Pengesan-chan~ Eh...I'll try not to chicken out...^^.. Lime is good.. but it's easier to read than to write.. heh. I'm trying..Ai! I love Souta too.  
  
Harmony McKellin~ *giggles* I hate writer's block! Have any secret remedies?  
  
hallokitty~ Thanks! When I first started doing it.. I thought lots of people had already used the idea.. I guess not though, ne?  
  
Nizuno Mikomi~ *gapes* I love your fanfic! The bus one! Aiiiiiiiiii... kawaiiii! I put part of the dialogue in my AIM profile for Love_Suboshi..and FoxfireKitsune... hope you don't mind!  
  
nekomon~ Seek... Sesshoumaru for a tumble? *eye twitches* What _kind_ of tumble? Ehehe.. my friend has dumped my mind in the gutter.  
  
Demon-Wolf~ *winces* Aii, aii..gomen! Okay, here's the next chapter. Seriously though, thanks for reviewing! ^^  
  
CreatiStar~ Er- Eriol smile? *twitches* Hide, Syaoran! ^^ Just kidding. Thanks for reviewing! ^_^  
  
Rita~ Wai? Understand Sesshoumaru's predicament? But- but... ah well. ^^ Inuyasha is too kawaii to be annoying, ne?  
  
kitty~ hey there! I read your review, nodded and decided not to post Road Trip. 'course... a month later... it's up.. and I still haven't gotten this chapter posted yet. *winces* Yikes. Ah well. ^^ Thanks so much for your reviews.  
  
Emmi-chan~ Wai! Thanks ^^  
  
Lady Priestess~ Ne.. you work so hard to get them something.. and they go and give it to their friend to take to the other side of the world! Aiiii..^^  
  
kaerra~ Eh.. not to worry, we'll soon find out what's wrong with Sango. ^^ Wait till Inuyasha's asleep.. then the girls can talk. ^^ Wahaha...  
  
the redwolf hound~ Aii..sorry to disappoint you.. but I dont' think Kouga will be making an appearance.. since I don't know his character very well. *sweatdrops* ^^ I think your chanting worked though..  
  
A Nonny Mouse~ Ah.. love these long reviews. Heh. Well.. it's not so much as protests that it is that I can't write a lime scene well enough.. ech. Ah well.. knowing me, I'd probably try it.... but not right now.  
  
SacredWings~ Finally! You updated yours! I'm so..*sniff* proud..  
  
tuchau~ Tehehee. Were you bored the day you reviewed all my ficcys? Well, in any case, thanks for doing so! ^_~ 


	6. Love Confessions and a Search Party

A/N: Hi! I bet you guys gave up on me, huh? Well, I felt soo guilty about just leaving my fics there. And I went to a friend's party and we watched Inuyasha's first movie, so I suddenly felt this need to come and do something about this whole 'idle' status on Linked and Road Trip. So if you read Road Trip, expect an update sometime before school starts, if time and math homework permits. As I guess you'll notice, there aren't any review replies in this chapter, mostly because I wanted to get it out FAST, you know? So I'm sorry, and I will start next chapter if you want me to. Leave an opinion in a review, won't you? And I do hope you'll review. That's like, the only thing keeping me in front of the computer despite my sister's not-so-subtle hints that if I don't get out of her room at 11:28PM, then she won't get her full 12 hours of sleep.   
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Disclaimer: *sigh* ALTHOUGH I don't own Inuyasha, I can watch him on 11:00 PM on Saturdays, Adult Swim..Cartoon Network!! I gave the wrong time/channel before. -_-;;; Anyways, enjoy!  
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Dedication: Grace, for being SO enthusiastic and a great question-answerer. Happy birthday! Good luck at school.  
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Linked   
Chapter Six: Love Confessions and a Search Party  
  
"We'll get the handcuffs off today." Kagome said, in a tone so determined that even Inuyasha looked impressed.   
"You will, Kagome? How? How? How?" Shippou bounced around eagerly, trying to decide whether or not life would still be as amusing when the handcuffs were out of the picture.  
"I have no idea." Kagome admitted. Inuyasha groaned. "Can't you think of anything?!"   
Kagome narrowed her eyes at him. "Why don't you try thinking for once?!"   
"What's that supposed to mean?!"  
"It means," Miroku said helpfully, "that you are obviously not the brains of the operation."  
Seeing the gleam in Inuyasha's eye, Kagome hastened to amend things. "That's not what Miroku means, Inuyasha. We all know you're smart." Unable to control herself, Kagome snickered.   
"Bitch."  
"Sit!" Kagome yelled automatically.  
Sango looked down at Kagome. "Does that hurt?"  
Kagome groaned and stirred. "Good thing I landed on Inuyasha."   
"Get..off..ME!"  
"Okay, okay." The two of them got up, Kagome rubbed her wrist absently. Inuyasha scowled at her. "It's your own fault for saying the 's' word." But he roughly tied a piece of cloth around her wrist to prevent the plastic from making contact. Kagome turned her head just in time to see Sango and Miroku exchange whispers. She nudged Inuyasha. "Look!"   
"What? A demon?"  
"No, baka." Kagome replied impatiently. "Look at Sango and Miroku."  
"You think Sango's gaining weight?"  
Luckily, Sango was far enough ahead on the trail not to have heard. "No!" Kagome shook her head. "You're so clueless. Look at them, talking to each other like that!"  
"What are you talking about? They're talking the same way they always do! Hell, they're talking the way we're talking now!" Kagome studied the pair ahead of them. Two dark heads bent together, looking for all the world like a blissful couple in their own world. She shook her head firmly. "Nuh-uh. There's definitely something there. Something different.."  
Shippou clambered onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "Sango hasn't screamed for a long time now." he offered. Kagome looked over at him. "What do you mean, Shippou?"  
"He means that the priest hasn't been spying on Sango while she bathes."  
"Hm.." Kagome grew quiet and thoughtful at this remark. Inuyasha sent Shippou a look, as if to say, 'who understands this female junk?'  
The group had not gone very far when there was a rustle in the forest to the right of them. "Great." Kagome muttered. Many of their scrapes and "adventures" began with a harmless rustle from random trees. "What is it?" Inuyasha stepped in front of Kagome, more out of habit than anything else. A slim figure appeared out of the cluster of trees, stepping steadily towards them. Miroku squinted. "I guess this one is for you to handle, Inuyasha."  
"Shit."   
It was Kikyou walking forward, her eyes fixed on the plastic linking Kagome and Inuyasha. She brushed past Miroku and Sango as if they weren't there. Kikyou stopped in front of Inuyasha, lifting her quiet, sad eyes to him.   
"Kikyou.." Inuyasha murmured..  
Kagome couldn't decide whether to be annoyed or hurt. Inuyasha was falling under Kikyou's spell again, as if Kagome wasn't practically attached to him! She tried for annoyance because it would stop the pain, but hurt twisted her heart all the same. 'Every time.' she thought, pushing back despair. 'Every time he forgets I'm here once _she_ shows up.'  
But Kagome couldn't find it in herself to hate Kikyou. The miko had been in love with him once.. and Kagome knew first hand what a heartache loving Inuyasha could cause. She was just resigning herself to look away when she caught sight of Sango's face. Sango was watching Kikyou weave her spell in anger, and the only thing stopping her from barging up was Miroku's restraining hand on her shoulder. And Kagome could tell it was serious because the monk wasn't even trying to cop a feel. "Sit!"  
Inuyasha slammed into the ground, then pried his face off the ground and wiped the dirt from his mouth. "What the hell was that for?!"  
Kagome shrugged innocently. "Shouldn't we be moving on?"  
Kikyou's gaze flickered to her for a split second, then dismissed her. "Come with me." she whispered to Inuyasha. "Come.."  
"He can't." Kagome shook their chain in Kikyou's face. "You'll just have to take him to hell with you some other time."  
For the first time Kikyou's expression changed. She narrowed her eyes and hissed, "You'll never take my place."  
"I don't want to." Kagome said, calmly defiant. "I'm not trying to." Kikyou touched Inuyasha's face, pain shuttering through her eyes when he flinched away from her cold touch. "Next time.." Her words echoed behind her as she turned and melted into the shadows. "Well," Miroku said. "That was depressing." Kagome sighed as Sango fell in step beside her. "Are you alright?" the exterminator asked, concerned.   
"Yeah." Kagome studied the dusty ground under her feet as they walked on. "Like Miroku said though, it was depressing."  
"Don't let her words get to you." Sango said fiercely. "You're better than she'll ever be."  
Kagome shook her head. "It's not that. There's no comparison between us; we're two different people. It's just that.. she does deserve her chance with Inuyasha."  
"You heard what Inuyasha said before!" Sango protested. "They didn't have trust. There was a problem with their relationship. What are you feeling bad for?"  
"Maybe they just never had a chance to develop trust." Kagome countered. "If Naraku hadn't interfered.. maybe they would have had a chance to be happy."  
"You deserve a chance too." Sango squeezed her friend's hand. "They had their chance. You should stop feeling so bad for Kikyou. She's dead. All that's there is an empty body and the need for revenge."  
Kagome summoned up a weak smile that didn't fool Sango for a moment. "I guess. Thanks."  
Inuyasha, who had been walking as far apart from the girls as the handcuffs allowed, glanced over. "What are you two whispering about over there?"  
Sango sent Kagome an encouraging smile and slipped away. Kagome shook her head. "Nothing, Inuyasha. Where are we headed?"  
  
"Lunchtime!" Shippou beamed up at Inuyasha. He growled. "What are looking at me for, kid?"  
"You're carrying Kagome's backpack! And," Shippou added cheerily, "Kagome's backpack is always full of yummy things! She brought me chocolate last time."  
Inuyasha tossed the pack down onto the baby green grass. "Help yourself."  
As Shippou launched himself at the bag, Kagome sat down with the same thoughtful expression she'd had for the past hour. It was starting to grate on Inuyasha's nerves. "What?" he snapped defensively. "What the hell is wrong with you?"  
Kagome snapped out of her reverie, startled, then annoyed. "I'm not bothering you! What are you yelling for?"  
"You've been moody for half the afternoon! If something's bothering you, can't you just say it?!"  
"IT's you, okay? You're bothering me!"  
"Are you fucking crazy? I haven't been doing anything!"  
Kagome dropped her head into her hands, wishing she could hide from Inuyasha's accusing glare as easily as she could from the noontime sun. "Sorry. I didn't mean that."  
Inuyasha watched her warily from a distance. Her outburst seemed to be over.. at least for now. "What's wrong, Kagome?"  
"Nothing! Nothing. Leave me alone. I'm sorry, already."  
"Well," Inuyasha started with a frown, unsure of how to approach this delicate situation. "your 'nothing' better not affect our search for shards."  
"Can you get over that already?! We're not having any luck finding the freaking shards! We're _chained_ together! What part of that can you NOT get?"  
So by the time Sango deigned to glance over, she saw a _very_ sulky human Inuyasha trying to ignore Kagome, whose shoulders were shaking slightly, silently. Both looked miserable. Miroku followed her eyes and sighed. "Do we have to guide those two on EVERY part of their relationship?"  
"You're not that great at relationships either." Sango pointed out.  
"Maybe I've never wanted to have one." Miroku shot back, hurt. He'd thought he was doing pretty well on this one. Sango bit her lip. "Fine."  
"Fine."  
As he watched Sango stalk toward Inuyasha, Miroku knocked his head against his knees a couple of times. He did suck at relationships.   
Sango slid down quietly next to Inuyasha, who pretended he couldn't see her. "Hey."  
"Hey." He replied relunctantly.  
"What's wrong with Kagome?"  
Inuyasha scowled. "How would I know?! She never tells me anything."  
"Maybe you just never listen."  
Inuyasha averted his gaze. "I don't care."  
"Liar. If you didn't care, you wouldn't be sitting a foot away, looking like your world just crumbled."  
"I can't get her to stop." Inuyasha mumbled. Sango figured he was talking about Kagome's crying. "What have you tried?"  
Inuyasha shrugged irritably. "I'm not good at this kind of stuff, okay? I don't know what's wrong with her!" Sango figured this was one thing she should let run its own course. "I think you should just talk to her." she advised. "Just try this once. I promise you it'll work."  
Inuyasha sighed. "I guess."  
"Okay." Satisfied, Sango retreated. Inuyasha shifted awkwardly towards Kagome. He nudged her gently. "Are you alright?" She shifted away and Inuyasha growled in frustration. The next thing she knew, Kagome was being lifted above a very annoyed Inuyasha, looking down into his violet eyes. "Tell me what's wrong!" he demanded, shaking her. Kagome felt laughter bubble up within her and couldn't contain it any longer. As she burst into giggles, Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and dropped her. She landed in his lap, still shaking from laughter. "Don't understand you." Inuyasha grumbled, secretly relieved that her tears had stopped. Kagome looked up, grinning. "You're the only person I know who tries to make someone stop crying by picking them up and shaking them." They sat in comfortable silence until Kagome realized where she was and scrambled off, blushing fiercely. Inuyasha blushed too, and said quickly, "So why were you crying?" Kagome sighed. "I hate crying." she grumbled. "It's so useless. But I couldn't help it this time."  
Inuyasha said nothing.  
"It's just that.. I keep thinking that Kikyou deserves her chance with you, you know? And I don't exactly like her, you know, but she really really loves you. It's not fair!" she burst out. "I mean, how come we both have to love you?"  
Oh. MY. LORD. WHAT had she just done? Kagome buried her head in her hands again, her mind racing to get her out of this mess. "It's the stress." she said faintly. "I mean, the whole handcuff thing.." Inuyasha was still looking at her with a stunned look on his face. Before he could respond, however, Miroku rushed up. "Shippou's missing!"   
More relieved than she could describe, Kagome whirled around so fast Inuyasha stumbled. "What?"  
"Well, he's just gone. Sango thinks he's in the forest somewhere."   
"Why would he run off though?"  
Miroku shrugged. "Maybe he got bored."  
Kagome sighed, searching the surrounding worriedly. "That isn't like him."  
"We'll spread out." Miroku said. "Sango and I will go right, you and Inuyasha will go left. We'll meet back here when the sun is setting."  
Kaogme nodded. "Right."  
Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other. They wouldn't be much use searching when he was in human form, since there was no way they could cover as much ground. But they did have to try. They searched for an hour in silence only broken when they came to a fork in the tiny path they were following and Kagome directed him in the direction that seemed most likely to her. While they bounded through the trees, Kagome's mind was a flurry of activity. Where could Shippou be? Had someone kidnapped him? And what the hell possessed her to blurt out what she did to Inuyasha? Was there any graceful way to return to the present and never come back? Oh wait, she was still attached to Inuyasha. How were they going to get the handcuffs off? And was her arm going to go numb soon?  
"Over there!" Her sudden shout made Inuyasha start, and they stopped roughly.   
"What?"  
"I think I saw something." Kagome ran toward a thicket straight ahead, yanking Inuyasha along. Shippou was sitting in a small, anonymous clearing, looking morose. When he saw Kagome, his eyes lit up and he attached himself to her. "I was so scared!"  
Kagome hugged him back. "What happened? We were worried!"  
Shippou's small voice seemed to stumble over itself as he rushed to get the words out. "I saw you crying, an- and I wanted to get you that purple flower you like so much, because last time you were happy when I gave it to you, but then I went into the forest, and then I thought I saw it, but it wasn't there, and then I got lost, and then I tried to go back but I couldn't find it!" The last few words ended in a high pitched wail. Inuyasha winced. Kagome hugged Shippou even tighter, pulling Inuyasha a few inches closer with the movement. "You're the best present." Shippou nestled into Kagome's shoulder, then spotted Inuyasha looking at them. In one graceful moment, he was on the ground and giving Inuyasha a meaningful look. Biting back a grin, Inuyasha stepped forward and wrapped Kagome in his arms. Surprised at this _very_ different embrace, Kagome froze for a moment. When she tentatively held him in turn-using only one arm because of their current situation-Inuyasha's soft voice whispered close to her ear. "I'm sorry Kikyou made you sad."  
Kagome rested her head on his shoulder, deciding she knew what paradise felt like now.   
  
Two sets of eyes peeked out from behind a low bush. "They're so cute!" Sango whispered to Miroku.   
"We would be cuter together."   
"Be quiet. It's about time we see that look on her face."  
"What look?"  
"Ugh. Boys are so oblivious. You know, that blissful, at-peace sort of look."  
"I can put that look on your face." Miroku offered.   
"Uh huh."  
"Sango.." Miroku shifted, hoping hard that he wouldn't hurt this one very important girl. "I know I haven't been that great, but.." he cleared his throat. "I mean, I'm not a.. well.."   
"Just say it already." Sango said impatiently, tearing her eyes away from what she'd already dubbed 'the cutest couple of all time'.   
"I really like you." Miroku blurted out.  
Sango raised one eyebrow skeptically. "Is this a new pick-up line?"  
"No!" Miroku tugged on his hair, annoyed with himself, the situation, the girl. "This wasn't supposed to happen, and I guess I'd understand if you don't believe me, but.."  
"Well?"  
"I really do like you. That's why I've been laying off the whole groping thing."  
Sango considered this. "Hunh. I thought it was because of the book on neutering Kagome brought for you."  
"Well," Miroku admitted. "maybe a little of it was. Though I think it had more of any effect on Inuyasha. They did say it was used mostly on cats and dogs, right? He didn't even eat any dinner that night."  
"Well, you'll have to excuse me if I don't exactly believe you on this." Sango said quietly. Miroku sighed. "I guess I didn't expect you to. But I wish you'd just give it a little thought before condemning the idea completely."  
Sango nodded slowly. "I guess I will."  
  
That night things were relatively quiet, as one might expect after an afternoon of revelations and confessions. Kagome and Inuyasha were still uncomfortable and tiptoeing around her 'confession', Sango was deep in thought and Miroku was waiting nervously for the outcome. Shippou was sticking very close to various members of the group. In fact, he was sticking so close Inuyasha 'accidently' stepped on him a couple of times.  
"Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered as she was about to drift off to sleep, which Shippou already snoring quietly beside her.  
"Hmm?" Her voice reflected her thoughts, quiet and dreamy.   
Inuyasha figured this was as good a time as any. "I think I love you too."  
Kagome was rudely booted out of dreamland. She sat up straight, blankets tumbling off her and Shippou flying through the dark with a protesting squeak. "What did you say?!"  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *   
  
Ending Notes: Sorry if this chapter is short. I think it's the same length as my other chapters, but then one could argue that my other chapters are too short. BUT I'm hoping to be updating a little more, thought Lord knows HOW I can, what with starting my freshman year at MISSION HIGH, which is supposed to be this freakishly hard school. AND to add to that crushing pressure, I'm going to be NEW. As in, NO FRIENDS. As in.. EVERYTHING will be scary and I'll probably be a puddle of human flesh, babbling nonsense and reciting math formulas by the second day of school. Anime is my only consolation. Wait. Make that anime and REVIEWS are my only consolations. So... toss a little pity this way! ^_~ IF and WHEN you review, please tell me if there are any grammer/spelling mistakes, any plotholes or nonsense, or any part of my writing that annoys you SO much you just want to storm into my house and break the computer. If that isn't too much to ask. Thank you!   
P.S. I might have mentioned that chapter 6 would be the last one, but as you can see, it isn't. Or is it? *insert evil laughter here* Anyway, it didn't come out quite as I imagined, but sometimes you know, your fingers kind of go their own way and you're powerless to stop them. Good thing that only happens in writing. ^_~  
8/25/2oo2 


	7. Laughter and a Twisted Ankle

A/N: Yay! This chapter isn't very late at all! Well, not really! Okay, I'm rambling. Staring at the computer for five consecutive hours will do that to you. Anyways, I sincerely hope that this chapter satisfies all you readers out there in Readerland. I mean, I know the cliffhanger was harsh, and I was freaking out about how to make it not seem anticlimatic. Please tell me I didn't! *crosses fingers* Anyways, I'm actually in the middle of writing this chapter, but I needed a break because I have to figure out what happens next. Warning: Lots LOTs of fluff in here. I'm not exactly proud of it.. but I couldn't resist!! Inuyasha and Kagome are just so CUTE! o.O Hehee.   
  
Disclaimer: YAY! Cartoon NETWORK 11PM every SATURDAY!! *happy dance* Uhm no own.   
  
Dedication: Good luck to everyone at Piedmont, who started school a week earlier than me. And to Bimbo#3 for surviving. *sweatdrops*  
  
Thanks: To everyone who reviewed.. I'm so grateful! I was reading these fics and they had like 500 reviews or something and I was SO jealous! ;__; But then my friend pointed out that I had a decent number of reviews and I was feeling SO guilty 'cause I love you guys. ^_^ So thanks very much for reviewing. And I just wanted to tell EVERYONE thanks so much for saying my new school will be great, etc. ^__^ Your reviews are immensely encouraging.   
  
  
Chapter Seven: Laughter and a Twisted Ankle  
Kagome stared at Inuyasha, not believing her ears. "What did you say?" she repeated. Inuyasha's purple eyes widened. "Nothing." In one motion Kagome was out of her sitting position and tackling him. "Nothing my-"  
"Whoa." Inuyasha interrupted. "Don't you think you're overreacting?"  
Kagome began to see red. "Over...reacting..?"   
Sango began to back away. Miroku, recognizing the look because he himself was often the recipient of it from many, many girls, followed her. Inuyasha's glare penetrated his dark bangs. "Yeah. Now get off me."  
Kagome sat back on his flat stomach and considered. Maybe she had heard wrong. Inuyasha wasn't exactly one for love confessions, that much was true. Maybe she had heard it because she _wanted_ to. Hell, she admitted to herself, she wouldn't rule out hallucinations just quite yet. She had it bad. Luckily for Kagome's peace of mind, however, Shippou was a willing witness. "You said you loved her, Inuyasha." The kitsune chipped in. "Don't you remember? Man, you have a bad memory, Inuyasha. You said it three seconds ago! And woke me up." he finished, glancing at the warm blankets regretfully. "Couldn't you have said this before we all fell asleep?"  
"I said it because I thought you were all asleep." Inuyasha grumbled. Kagome stared in shock. "You really did say it then?" Her tone bordered on accusing.  
"So what if I did?" Inuyasha retorted defensively. "You said it first!"  
"Man," Miroku whispered to Sango from a safe distance. "These two SUCK at this kind of stuff."  
Sango nodded in agreement. "I just wish I could give them a big whack with my boomerang so that they would just say it!"  
Miroku shifted away subtly. "Right. I think it's just better to watch though."  
Sango grumbled but stopped glancing over at her weapon. "Idiots."  
Meanwhile, Inuyasha and Kagome were locked in a battle of stares. Finally, even Shippou started to get creeped out. He scampered off to climb onto Miroku. After another minute passed, Kagome gave in and blinked. "Ouch. My eyes are dry." Inuyasha smirked. Kagome sighed, her fighting spirit draining. "I'm tired." Both of them knew she wasn't talking about the late hour. "I'm just tired of this." She continued, playing with a strand of grass. "Always coming here, and _knowing_ I can't love you.. but loving you anyways. I hate it when Kikyou shows up and you act like I never existed. I hate it when you break my heart and then say something so sweet I fall in love all over again. Inuyasha, this is UNFAIR." Inuyasha scowled at her. "Oh yeah? Well I hate it when you have to go back to your world. I hate it when you don't come back until I make you. I hate that you know guys out there that I can't protect you from. I hate it when something threatens your life and you won't leave. I hate it that Kikyou hurts you. And I hate it when you cry because of me." Kagome gritted her teeth. "There you go. Another sweet speech. And I thought we were in _love_ with each other."  
"Well.." Inuyasha's face softened into a slightly dreamy smile. "I love the short skirts from your time. I love it when you fall on top of me. I love it when I rescue you. I love it when you smile at me. I love it when we hold hands. And I love it when you're here with me." Kagome's mouth dropped open. She hadn't known Inuyasha was capable of something so wonderfully sweet. She threw her arms around his neck. As if just realizing what he'd said, Inuyasha made a strangled sound and tried to push her away. "Well, you know what I love?" He stopped struggling, so Kagome figured she had his attention now. "I love it when you cover your soft side with that bad-ass attitude. You're like chocolate...hard chocolate with caramel inside. All tough on the outside..but soft and gooey on the inside." Before Inuyasha could reply to what he considered a horrible insult, Kagome continued. "I love it when you apologize, because you do it so rarely. I love it when you think you're protecting me from something. It's so cute. I love it when you get embarrassed when you're caught doing something nice because you turn this adorable shade of pink. And I love how you worry about me." She leaned forward, kissing him lightly. "I love you."   
"Mmm.."  
Miroku squinted through the darkness. "I think I can get used to all this 'love' stuff."  
"Pervert! Stop trying to spy on them!"   
"I'm not!" He protested. "Really. Besides, they wouldn't try anything with us right here... would they?"  
Sango, Shippou and Miroku looked at each other. "Maybe they forgot we're here." Shippou suggested helpfully. Sango blushed. "Great."  
"Hey! Can this wait 'til you're alone?" Kagome and Inuyasha sprang apart (well, as far as the handcuffs would allow) at Miroku's call. Both were practically glowing in the dark from their blushes. "Nothing was going to happen." Kagome assured the darkness. Inuyasha snorted.   
  
After a night of tossing and turning..  
  
The day dawned bright and early. Due to the activities the night before, no one woke up. Then, around noon, the day became impatient for some action. She turned the noontime sun on them full on. Kagome groaned. She considered pulling the blankets over her face, but, by the way things were looking, the cloth would soon be water-clogged with sweat. Disgusting. So she just groaned again and sat up, shading her eyes from the gleefully harsh light. Deciding she didn't want to suffer alone, she tugged and shoved at the lump beside her until Inuyasha stirred and slapped at her quick hand. "Wake up!"  
Immediately, Inuyasha shot up. "What? Demon? Where?"  
"No demon." Kagome assured. "At least, not yet." This was to keep him from falling back asleep. As always, Inuyasha was perfectly oriented and clear-headed upon waking. Kagome envied him. The envy quickly dissipated when she found herself in his arms. She rested her head against his shoulder. Inuyasha gentled his hold, almost cradling her. "I love you." he murmured huskily against her ear. When he got no reply, Inuyasha pulled back, narrowing his eyes. Sure enough, Kagome was slumped against him, sleeping. "WAKE UP!"  
"SIT!"  
"Bitch!"  
Miroku, Sango and Shippou groaned in unison. Wasn't it a bit too early for this? Ten minutes and a slew of 'sits' later, Inuyasha was sulking under a tree, Kagome was digging through her backpack for breakfast next to him, and Miroku, Sango and Shippou had grudgingly awoken and crawled out of their respective makeshift beds, unable to sleep with the tension shimmering in the air. Kagome set out ten breakfast bars. "Help yourself." she said cheerfully. Shippou grabbed the chocolate one. "She says she loves me, but she's only that nice to other people." Inuyasha said loudly. Sango groaned mentally. "Well," Kagome yelled back. "when you love someone you don't WAKE them UP while they're SLEEPING happily."  
"When you love someone you don't SIT them!" Inuyasha shouted.   
"YOU WOKE ME UP!"  
"WELL, if you really LOVED me, you'd be AWAKE when I told you I loved you!"  
Immediately Kagome's entire dismeanor softened. "You said that?"   
Inuyasha sputtered when he realized what he'd just announced to the entire forest. "Wel-well.."  
"That's so sweet!" Kagome lunged at Inuyasha and caught him a fierce hug. "Idiot."   
Inuyasha patted her back gingerly and looked over at Miroku helplessly. The priest shrugged. His expression said clearly, 'Hell, I'm lost too'. Sango sighed, her eyes misting over. Miroku looked over. The sun was hitting her hair perfectly, so that is seemed wonderfully silky and dark. There was a quiet, content smile on her face as she watched the couple. Miroku shrugged. What did he have to lose? Besides everything.. He shook off the morbid thought and acted before he lost his nerve. Miroku wrapped his arms around Sango, trying to ignore the stab of pain when she stiffened. "When are you going to decide?" He hated himself for asking, but Miroku was quite sure he would explode of he couldn't find out. Sango patted his hand and carefully eased herself away. "I will." she promised, not meeting his eyes. "Give me time, please."   
"Of course." Miroku knew his voice was bitter and stung, but he couldn't control it. "All the time you need."  
Inwardly, Sango winced at his tone. She hated causing him pain, she really did, but he couldn't expect her to jump with joy over his confession. 'I really like you'. What kind of confession was that anyway? He didn't even say he loved her. Sango caught herself there. 'Dangerous line of thought'. she scolded herself. Did she really want him to love her anyways? It would just ruin both their lives. And Sango really couldn't handle anymore ruined lives on her hands.   
  
Shippou patiently counted to ten. Give the priest a little more time to plead with Sango- oh, he wouldn't admit it, but it was obvious he was very, very close to begging- and give Inuyasha and Kagome a little more time to glomp each other. What was so fun about that, anyways? Shippou rolled his eyes. He really hoped he wouldn't be like Miroku and Inuyasha when he grew up!  
  
"So what about you and Miroku?" Kagome whispered to Sango, who was walking beside her. The girl scowled down at the grass they were traveling across. "What about us?"  
"Come on! Anyone can tell there's something there!"  
"You're not going to turn into one of the obnoxious people who wants to fix up their friends because they're all matched up, are you? I really hate that type of people." Sango turned her scowl onto Kagome. Kagome studied her friend. It was obvious something was bothering her, but Sango was not exactly open with her feelings. Kagome narrowed her eyes. "You're just as bad as Inuyasha."  
"Excuse me?"  
"I mean, when you don't want to talk about your feelings you try and get out of it by petty insulting. Well, I've had too much practice for that to work on me, Sango. So tell me what's wrong!" Sango looked at Inuyasha, who was pretending he couldn't hear their conversation. Now, besides the handcuffs connecting the two, their fingers were also linked. "Later." she said, then hurried ahead.   
Inuyasha looked over at Kagome, who was frowning at her friend's back. "I don't hide my feelings by insulting people." Kagome turned to him, and Inuyasha figured Sango owed him big for getting Kagome off her back. "Yes you do!"  
"No I don't!"  
"Yes you do!"  
  
Shippou watched the argument from Miroku's shoulder. "People in love fight a lot." he commented. Miroku grinned. "Ah, young one, how inexperienced you are. Can't you tell they're enjoying it?"  
Shippou snorted. "People in love are weird."  
"Shippou, you can write a book on what people in love are like, but trust me, you won't know what hit you when you fall in love."  
Shippou watched skeptically as Kagome bent down and yelled "Sit!".   
"I'm not quite sure I want to fall in love."  
Miroku wasn't smiling anymore as he watched Sango's back. "Me neither."  
  
"This thing is driving me crazy!" Kagome raged. Everyone stopped their walking and looked over at her, surprised at the sudden outburst. "I want it off!" She stomped on the dirt, fuming. Inuyasha snickered. She'd just tripped over a rock, pulling him down with her. This had been an usual occurence ever since Shippou had snapped the handcuffs on. But did Kagome blame the kid? Oh no. It was his fault for falling on top of her. Miroku waited a safe amount of time before appoaching. "Kagome," he said hesitantly. "can I get a look at it? I might be able to find a way.." Kagome turned to him, her eyes large. "PLEASE." Inuyasha's snicker had faded to a scowl. "It's not that awful being chained to me." he muttered sullenly. Kagome ignored him, focusing on Miroku, who in turn was focusing on the handcuffs. Suddenly, the monk's figure began to shake with laughter.  
"What is so funny?!" Kagome was steaming. Unable to speak, Miroku pointed at the third link on the handcuffs. Bending down to examine the plastic, Kagome sent Miroku a warning look. If this was a joke... After a few moments, Kagome screamed.   
  
Sango and Shippou had collapsed to the grass already, and were currently rolling back and forth, shaking with laughter so hard it threatened to make them wet their pants. Kagome was still steaming. "It is NOT funny." Inuyasha, back in hanyou form, had his head comfortably in her lap. "It's funny, Kagome." Kagome sent the handcuffs, abandoned a few feet away, a death glare. "It is NOT funny. Especially after all we went through!"   
Shippou let out a howl of laughter, setting Miroku and Sango off again. Kagome stroked Inuyasha's hair. "I guess it is a little funny." she admitted.   
On the third link of the handcuffs, there was a tiny, unnoticeable button poking out. On the button, a small '3' was imprinted. As Miroku had proved a few moments ago, three pushes of the button would cause the cuffs to spring apart.   
  
That night..  
  
"Sango, why are Inuyasha and Kagome still sleeping together even if though the handcuffs are gone?" Shippou, who had been kicked out of the blankets by Inuyasha and was taking refuge in Sango's arms, asked. "Well, Shippou, I guess they've gotten used to it. When people get used to sleeping next to someone else, they can't fall asleep without the other person." Shippou pouted. "Well, I can't fall asleep without Kagome!" However, the little kitsune contradicted himself when he let out a sleepy yawn and allowed his eyes to droop. Within minutes, Sango was holding a softly snoring kitsune. She felt herself start to drift off to sleep too when there was a rustle in the woods. Again. Sango groaned mentally and tried to ignore the noise. She _hated_ anonymous rustles in the middle of the night. But when the sounds were followed by muted cursing, Sango frowned. That sounded like Miroku...   
Allowing herself the luxury of a sigh, Sango slipped out of the bedding to investigate. She tiptoed through the campsite, noting, with a smug smile, Inuyasha curled around Kagome. She was so glad her best friend finally figured out how much the dog demon was in love with her. Turning her mind back to the task at hand, Sango impatiently pushed aside some stray branches, shaking the fallen leaves off her head. She squinted into the darkness. The stars above were bright, as was the moon, but the shadows still made seeing hard. Not to mention she was in the _forest_ with trees blocking the flow of the light. "Miroku?" Sango called out softly. The night was starting to freak her out.   
"What? Sango?" A voice came out of the darkness and Sango headed in that direction. "Yeah. What are you doing out here?"  
Miroku's voice sounded strained, but beneath that Sango detected a hint of embarrassment. "Miroku?"  
"Over here." He sighed. "I sort of twisted my ankle."  
Sango raised an eyebrow as she made her way over to him. "What were you doing out here anyways?" By now she was close enough to see his grimace. "I was trying to sleep, but I heard a noise. When I came to see, I tripped over a tree trunk and sort of.. fell."  
"You fell?!"  
"Well, I'm human, you know!"  
Sango shook her head and sighed. "Come on. Let's get you back to the campsite so we can look at it."  
As she bent down to help him up, Miroku lifted his hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're so beautiful." he murmured. Sango's head snapped up and her throat dried. "Miroku.."  
"Have I ever told you that?" he continued softly, ignoring her. "I mean, really told you? Because I should have." Before Sango could shake herself out of her shock and reply, she was in Miroku's lap. And he was kissing her. And it felt... right. When they broke apart, Miroku leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you." he said hoarsely. Sango lifted her hands, then dropped them helplessly. "I love you too."  
  
The Next Morning..  
"Wait." Inuyasha said, snickering. "Tell me again how Miroku twisted his ankle."  
"I tripped over a tree stump." Miroku replied, in an admirably dignified tone. "It happens."   
Inuyasha laughed so hard that he rolled over. "Wait, wait. So the priest is in the forest, sitting there because his ankle is twisted, and Sango hears him cussing, so she goes to see. And they end up making out for half the night in the middle of the forest until-" Here Inuyasha started laughing again. "Until Miroku find out that his entire lower body is numb, and he can't move, and Sango has to come and wake me up because I'm the only one who can get him all the way back here before some wild beast devoured him." Inuyasha finished his spiel, gasping for air. Kagome swatted him lightly on the head. "I think it's romantic." Shippou turned himself into a big pink balloon and attached onto Inuyasha's head. When Inuyasha smacked him, he turned back to his normal self. "I'm bored." he pouted. "Why does everyone have to fall in love?" Kagome smiled as she gathered the kitsune in her arms. "We're happy." Sango smiled. 'Yes, we are.' she thought. 'And we'll get through everything. Because we deserve it.'  
  
Later that Day..  
Shippou shook his head as the two couples ahead of him argued. And argued. "How can they be in love?" he demanded of Kirara, who was prancing along beside him. She ignored him in favor of a blue butterfly. Shippou watched as Inuyasha swept Kagome into his arms and kissed her, cutting off a protest. Miroku imitated him, and Sango laughed as she hit him on the head. The two tumbled onto the grass, giggling and wrestling like puppies. Shippou rolled his eyes, but grinned a little. "I guess they _are_ kind of cute."   
  
Ending Notes: Waah! *wipes tear* I can't believe I finished another fic! I feel so accomplished. Well this was sort of done quickly, (TWO DAYS!) because I went on a roll. But the problem with these inspiration rolls is that sometimes you sort of write something you regret afterwards, so I figure I can post it up right now (because I'm review greedy) and revise later if the need arises. But give me your opinion! Please.. last chapter... reviews.. must...have...reviews...  
EVEN THOUGH this is the last chapter and you're reading this like three months off you NEED TO REVIEW. Because it'll make me happy and I'll love you forever. Especially if you're Jay or Inuyasha. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who DID review 'cause you guys are the best and I love you. I've decided not to drag the story along, so this will be the final chapter. Leaves a little mysterious ending, lol. ^_^ REVIEW! And tell me if you see any mistakes!  
8/28/2oo2 


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